THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 


BY 


THEODORE  BAUGHMAN* 


CHICAGO 
W.  B.  CONKEY  COMPANY 


Bancroft  Library 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

O  I.    How  I  Became  a  Soldier 9 

II.    The  Battle  of  Resaca 10 

0)  III.    The  Battle  of  New  Hope  Church 27 

IV.  Battle    of    Lost   Mountain,    or   Gilgal 

Church 35 

V.    Battle  of  Gulp's  Farm 41 

ID  VI.     Personal  Reminiscences 46 

<  VII.     Battle  of  Peach  Tree  Creek 53 

VIII.    Surrender  of  Atlanta 64 

j  IX.    March  to  the  Sea 78 

Q  X.    Anecdotes  of  the  "War 85 

Q  XI.    Farewell  Addresses 97 

XII.    After  the  War  — Off  for  Kansas 104 

Xin.  At  Delphos,  on  the  Banks  of  the  Solo- 
mon River 110 

XIV.     Skirmish  with  Indians 118 

XV.    Trip  to  Arizona 135 

XVI.  The  Trail  from  Wichita  to  Cantonment  139 

XVII.    Driving  Wild  Horses 145 

XVIII.  D.  W.  Lipe,  Treasurer  of  the  Cherokee 

Nation 150 

XIX.  Trip  to  Tuscosa  —  How  a  Kansas  Brag- 

ger  Was  Sold 152 

XX.    Sketch  of  Caldwell 159 

XXI.     Southern  and  Western  Cattle  Trade 165 

XXH.  My  Experience  as  Government  Scout...  173 

XXIII.  General  Hatch  and  His  Staff  Officers. . .  183 

XXIV.  Lieutenant  Charles  Taylor 186 

XXV.    Trip  to  Fort  Riley 188 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

XXVI.  Further  Wanderings 191 

XXVII.  General  Hatch's  Camp 201 

XXVIII.  Indian  Graves 204 

XXIX.  Hunting  Memories 206 

XXX.  Other  Scouts. .                                         .  210 


THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

HOW   I   BECAME   A   SOLDIER. 

This  book  will  be  principally  concerned 
with  the  events  connected  with  my  twenty 
years'  experience  as  a  scout  and  frontiers- 
man for  the  United  States  army  in  the  West. 
But  that  the  reader  may  have  a  better  under- 
standing of  the  motives  and  causes  which 
led  me  to  adopt  a  career  of  such  adventur- 
ous hardship  a  brief  sketch  of  my  previous 
life  will  be  necessary. 

I  was  born  in  Attica,  Seneca  county, 
Ohio,  on  the  30th  of  July,  in  the  year  1845. 
There  were  nine  children  of  us,  I  being 
next  to  the  oldest.  My  father  was  a  me- 
chanic. He  moved  to  Branch  county,  Mich- 
igan, about  the  year  1858,  where  we  were 
living  when  the  rebellion  broke  out. 

I  will  not  dwell  upon  my  boyhood,  which 
in  its  details  did  not  materially  differ  from 
9 


10  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

that  of  thousands  of  other  hard-working  far- 
mer lads.  I  always  had  a  longing  after  an 
adventurous  life.  The  humdrum  experiences 
of  the  farm  didn't  at  all  suit  my  notions. 
I  did  plenty  of  hard  work,  to  be  sure,  but  it 
went  against  the  grain,  and  I  spent  as  much 
time  as  I  could  get  in  hunting  and  fishing  or 
roaming  over  all  the  surrounding  country. 

Nor  was  I  much  fonder  of  the  school- 
house  than  of  the  farm.  I  was  not  the 
teacher's  pet  by  any  means.  Memory  fails 
me  in  any  attempt  to  enumerate  the  thrash- 
ings I  got  for  the  various  oifenses  of  a  gen- 
uine "  bad  boy."  I  was  not  often  without  a 
black  eye,  and  generally  two  or  more  of  my 
fingers  were  tied  up  in  rags,  little  reminders 
of  fights  with  other  boys. 

This  sketch  indicates  my  course  of  life  up 
to  the  commencement  of  the  rebellion  in 
1861,  at  which  time  I  was  a  stout,  well-grown 
boy  of  sixteen.  But  I  did  not  count  myself 
a  boy  then,  but  felt  anxious  to  be  a  soldier 
along  with  the  rest  of  the  men.  Early  in  the 
year  1862  my  elder  brother  John  and  I  went 
to  Coldwater  to  enlist  in  company  0  of  the 
19th  regiment  of  Michigan  infantry,  the 
rendezvous  of  the  regiment  being  at  Dbwa- 
giac.  To  my  chagrin  they  refused  to  muster 
me  in  on  any  account  of  my  age,  and  most 


HOW   I  BECAME  A   SOLDIER.  11 

reluctantly  I  was  compelled  to  return  home 
and  resume  work  on  the  farm.  The  regi- 
ment my  brother  was  in,  the  19th  Michigan, 
had  in  the  meantime  been  captured  at  Spring 
Hill,  or  Thompson's  Station,  near  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  and  after  having  gone  through  the 
terrible  ordeal  of  Libby  prison  had  been  ex- 
changed and  was  stationed  at  McMinnville, 
Tenn.,  in  August,  1863,  when  I  again  enlist- 
ed in  the  regiment  and  was  this  time  accept- 
ed and  was  assigned  to  company  A,  my 
brother  John  being  in  company  C.  I  enlist- 
ed at  Coldwater.  In  two  days  I  was  at 
Detroit,  very  much  elated  to  find  myself 
dressed  up  in  soldier's  clothes 

There  were  twelve  recruits  of  us.  "We  re- 
mained in  Detroit  two  weeks.  It  was  hay- 
ing time  when  I  enlisted,  and  the  feeling 
uppermost  in  my  mind  was  the  pleasure  of 
having  got  rid  of  taking  care  of  that  hay. 
"Well,  there  came  times  in  my  after  life 
when  I  would  gladly  have  given  all  I  pos- 
sessed to  be  back  in  that  hay-field !  The 
officer  who  recruited  me  promised  me  a 
furlough  of  ten  days,  which,  however  I 
never  got.  At  Jeffersonville,  Indiana,  our 
squad  was  put  in  charge  of  some  deserters 
and  bounty-jumpers  who  were  being  escort- 
ed back  to  their  respective  commands. 


12  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

tween  Jeffersonville  and  Louisville  one  of 
these  patriots  managed  to  get  his  hands  free 
of  his  hand-cuffs,  and  jumped  out  of  the  car 
window  while  the  train  was  at  full  speed  and 
made  his  escape.  The  officer  in  charge  said 
to  me: 

"Didn't  you  see  him  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  said. 

"  Well,  why  didn't  you  stop  him  ? " 

"  O,"  I  answered,  "  I  wanted  to  see  if  the 
fellow  would  jump." 

This  shows  how  green  I  was,  and  how  lit- 
tle I  knew  of  the  strictness  of  military  dis- 
cipline. It  is  needless  to  add  I  learned  bet- 
ter afterward.  The  officer  took  the  matter 
good-naturedly,  but  said : 

"  This  may  have  been  funny  to  you,  but  it 
won't  make  my  number  of  prisoners  good 
when  we  get  to  Louisville." 

At  Louisville  I  remember  spending  fifty 
cents  in  fractional  currency  (they  were  nof 
introducing  laws  to  abolish  silver  in  those 
days,  for  it  had  abolished  itself)  for  a  couple 
of  cylinder  escapement  pies,  that  is,  pies 
whose  contents,  if  they  ever  had  any,  had 
escaped  like  my  fellow  out  of  the  car  window. 

I  next  found  myself  quartered  in  the 
Zollicoffer  House  at  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
where  I  saw  my  first  dead  soldier.  He  had 


HOW   I   BECAME   A   SOLDIER.  13 

not  fallen  amid  the  crash  of  contending 
columns,  but  had  quite  as  effectually  fallen 
down  stairs  and  broken  his  neck.  I  got  per- 
mission to  to  the  theater  and  went.  We 
turned  our  band  of  bounty-jumpers  over  to 
the  provost  marshal  at  Nashville,  and  were 
glad  to  be  rid  of  them.  The  third  day  after 
our  arrival  we  took  the  cars  for  Stevenson, 
Alabama,  as  escorts  for  some  two  hundred 
soldiers  who  were  being  returned  to  their 
commands.  Stevenson  at  this  time  was  a 
small  village,  but  beautifully  situated  at  the 
base  of  the  Cumberland  mountain  range, 
with  a  magnificent  country  stretching  away 
to  the  southward.  There  was  a  large  con- 
valescent camp  here  at  the  time  of  our  ar- 
rival, a  town  of  canvas  covering  forty  acres. 
This  was  vacated  next  day,  and  eight  of  us 
were  detailed  to  guard  the  camp  and  the 
railroad  siding.  "We  had  something  of  a  royal 
time  the  few  days  we  were  there,  and  took 
many  a  sly  peep  into  the  well-filled  cars  of 
sutler's  stores  that  were  passing  through. 
But  I  was  anxious  to  join  our  regiment, 
which  lay  at  McMinnville,  in  order  to  see  my 
brother.  We  went  from  Stevenson  to  Mur- 
freesborough  on  the  cars. 

We  remained  at  this  place  about  a  week, 
and  were  quartered  in  a  brick  house  which 


14  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

contained  about  as  many  rats  as  it  did  bricks. 
Pete  Stewart,  one  of  our  squad,  was  a  good 
soldier  and  a  good  enough  fellow,  but  liable 
to  be  cross,  especially  when  the  whisky 
gave  out,  as  it  had  on  this  occasion.  Pete 
was  a  great  hand  to  take  care  of  his  clothes. 
He  had  had  nice  boots  made  to  commence 
soldering  in.  One  night  while  in  the  afore- 
said brick  house  Pete  thoroughly  greased 
these  boots  and  placed  them  beside  his 
bunk.  During  the  night  the  hungry  rats 
ate  big  holes  in  both  of  them.  When  Pete 
saw  his  mutilated  foot  covers  in  the  morn- 
ing the  atmosphere  was  blue  thereabout 
with  profanity,  and  he  vowed  vengeance. 
He  shot  one  rat  and  was  looking  for  the 
others  when  the  patrol  guard  came  and 
marched  Pete  to  the  guard-house  for  firing 
his  pistol.  I  haven't  seen  Pete  for  twenty 
years,  and  don't  know  where  he  is,  but  I 
never  think  of  that  incident  without  laughing. 
We  marched  afoot  from  Murfreesborough 
to  McMinnville,  where  we  joined  the  19th 
Michigan,  and  were  assigned  to  our  re- 
spective companies.  I  found  my  brother 
well  and  glad  to  see  me.  But  he  said, 
"Theo,  what  in  the  world  did  you  enlist 
for  ?"  I  told  him  I  wanted  to  see  this  thing 
through.  He  said,  "  You'll  get  enough  of 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  SOLDIER.  15 

soldering  if  you  live."  We  spent  the  win- 
ter of  *  1863-64  at  McMinnville.  Most  of 
that  time  our  regiment  was  kept  busy  build- 
ing fortifications.  The  monotony  of  this 
work  was  varied  by  foraging  expeditions 
through  the  surrounding  country,  and  a 
portion  of  us  were  engaged  in  collecting 
taxes  for  the  state.  Captain  Frank  Bald- 
win, now  quartermaster  on  staff  in  Washing- 
ton Territory,  was  our  leader  on  the  foraging 
expeditions.  On  one  occasion  we  came 
across  eight  of  the  soldiers  of  the  22d  "Wis- 
consin, lying  piled  up  by  the  >side  of  the 
road ;  with  a  placard  on  one  of  them  which 
read :  "  Fate  of  those  who  follow  Baldwin." 
This  did  not  stop  our  foraging,  but  kept  us 
all  the  time  on  a  sharp  lookout. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  our  regiment  was 
assigned  to  the  20th  corps,  commanded  by 
"  Fighting  Joe  Hooker,"  2d  brigade,  3d  divi- 
sionj  and  was  ordered  to  Corin  Station,  on  the 
Chattanooga  &  Nashville  Eailroad.  Just  at 
this  juncture  I  began  to  realize  the  stern  re- 
alities of  war,  and  my  mind  turned  some- 
what longingly  to  that  old  hay-field  back  in 
Michigan.  We  had  a  great  deal  of  hard 
marching  to  do  over  the  Cumberland  moun- 
tains. Although  we  are  required  to  leave  at 
Corin  Station  every  unnecessary  article,  in- 


16  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

eluding  on  my  part  a  new  suit  of  citizen's 
clothes  and  winter  blankets,  we  still  found  it 
a  "hard  road  to  travel,"  and  fervently 
wished  we  might  catch  up  with  the  enemy 
just  to  get  a  rest.  We  were  marching  for 
Chattanooga,  where  the  army  was  being 
concentrated.  By  this  time  I  had  become 
an  expert  forager.  I  recall  one  day  while  we 
were  toiling  through  the  mountains,  that, 
being  thirsty,  I  dropped  out  of  the  ranks  to 
hunt  a  spring,  which  I  was  fortunate  enough 
to  find,  and  with  it  a  spring  house.  I  returned 
to  the  column  with  my  canteen  filled  with 
sparkling  water,  a  nice  roll  of  butter  in  my 
haversack,  and  a  ham  swung  on  my  gun. 
That  night  brother  John  and  I  had  a  royal 
least.  Much  of  the  scenery  through  this 
country  is  the  most  magnificent  the  eye  ever 
beheld.  Mountains  towered  up  in  terrible 
grandeur  on  every  side,  while  lying  between 
them  were  valleys  as  delightful  as  any  poets 
have  ever  sung.  It  frequently  made  my  heart 
sad  to  see  so  fair  a  country  laid  desolate  by  the 
unrelenting  storms  of  war,  but  the  southern 
people  would  have  it  so.  "We  went  out  to  save 
the  Union,  and  were  bound  to  do  it,  no  mat- 
ter who  suffered.  We  all  had  confidence  in 
"Old  Billy,"  and  he  learned  that  "subsisting 
off  the  enemy  "  was  a  military  necessity. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

THE  BATTLE  OF   KESACA. 

The  scene  as  we  approached  Chattanooga 
is  still  fresh  in  my  mind.  Sherman's  army 
was  encamped  on  a  hillside  sloping  toward 
Lookout  Mountain,  where  the  old  20th  corps 
under  Hooker  had  fought  the  memorable 
battle  above  the  clouds. 

These  were  stirring  scenes,  certainly !  The 
life  and  motion  of  a  great  army  cannot  be 
realized  by  one  who  has  not  witnessed  them. 
Regiments  and  brigades  are  being  moved 
hither  and  thither  to  take  their  respective 
places  in  corps  and  divisions.  General  offi- 
cers are  on  their  steeds,  each  face  wearing 
the  look  that  betokened  the  stern  resolve  of 
actual  war ;  gaily  dressed  orderlies  and  aids- 
de-camp  are  riding  furiously  from  one  part 
of  the  army  to  another.  The  vast  supply 
trains  are  being  loaded  or  unloaded;  bat- 
teries are  going  through  the  artillery  drill, 
and  there  are  a  hundred  other  features  that 
go  to  make  up  a  bustle  that  never  loses  its 
interest  even  to  an  old  veteran. 

Gen.  George  W.  Butterfield  was  our  divis- 
17 


18  THE  OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

ion  commander ;  Col.  John  A.  Coburn  com- 
manded the  brigade,  with  Col.  H.  C.  Gilbert 
in  command  of  our  regiment. 

The  20th  corps  was  stationed  on  the  right 
center,  and  our  portion  of  it  happened  to 
occupy  that  post  which  when  the  advance 
was  made  led  us  straight  on  to  Buzzard 
Boost. 

The  following  report  of  Col.  Coburn,  then 
commanding  our  brigade  —  the  2d — gives  so 
graphic  a  description  of  the  operations  of 
our  regiment  and  the  balance  of  the  brigade 
from  the  8th  to  the  21st  of  May,  1864,  in- 
cluding the  hard-fought  battle  of  Besaca, 
that  I  will  insert  it  in  full : 

HEADQUARTERS  2n  BRIG.,  3D.  Div.,  SOrn  ARMY  CORPS, 

CAMP  NEAR  CASSVILLE,  GA.,  MAT  22,  1864. 
CAPTAIN  JOHN  SPEED,   A.   A.   G.   3d  Div., 

20th  A.  C.: 

Captain, — I  have  the  honor  to  report  the 
following  operations  of  the  2d  brigade,  3d 
division,  20th  army  corps,  from  the  8th  to 
the  21st  day  of  May,  1864.  On  the  9th 
day  of  May  the  brigade  was  encamped  in 
Dogwood  valley.  Two  regiments,  the  19th 
Michigan  and  the  20th  Connecticut,  were 
ordered  to  march  and  occupy  Boyd's  trail 
over  John's  Mountain,  south  of  Buzzard 
Boost.  This  was  done  after  a  slight  skir- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  RESA0A.  19 

mish,  with,  the  loss  of  one  sergeant  of  the 
19th  Michigan  mortally  wounded.  Three 
regiments  remained  there  on  the  10th,  the 
remainder  of  the  brigade  still  in  their  former 
camp.  On  the  llth  the  brigade  moved  with 
the  division  to  Snake  Creek  Gap,  some  seven- 
teen miles,  and  went ;  into  camp  near  the 
southern  end,  and  at  once  began  work  on 
the  road  making  a  double  track  for  wagons 
and  a  byway  for  troops.  On  the  12th  the 
brigade  continued  the  work  on  the  road. 
At  noon  three  regiments  marched  three 
miles  in  advance  and  encamped  in  the  rear 
of  a  part  of  Gen.  McPherson's  command- 
The  20th  Connecticut  and  the  33d  Indiana  re- 
mained at  work  on  the  road  during  the  day, 
and  at  night  rejoined  the  brigade.  May  13th 
the  whole  brigade  marched  at  daylight,  and 
about  2  o'clock  p.  m.  went  into  position  in 
the  rear  of  the  15th  corps,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Eesaca,  having  been  deployed  in 
two  lines.  In  the  evening  the  brigade 
marched  to  the  left  and  front  about  a  mile 
and  a  half,  and  encamped  for  the  night  in 
the  rear  of  part  of  the  14th  corps.  May 
14th  the  brigade  moved  forward  about 
400  yards,  and  relieved  a  part  of  the  14th 
corps,  Carlin's  brigade  in  front  and  to  the 
left.  The  formation  was  in  two  lines  de- 


20  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

ployed.  The  brigade  encamped  here  for  the 
night,  on  the  left  of  the  division.  The  posi- 
tion  of  the  enemy  was  in  our  front  and  be. 
yond  a  narrow  cleared  valley  upon  a  low 
wooded  ridge  covered  by  fortifications.  The 
14th  corps  was  severely  engaged  with  the 
enemy  here  during  the  day. 

May  15th  the  brigade  moved  in  the  morn- 
ing with  the  division  to  the  left  some  two 
miles,  passing  the  14th,  4th  and  23d  corps, 
and  here,  having  halted,  received  an  order 
to  advance  in  rear  of  the  right  of  the  1st 
brigade,  in  column,  in  two  lines,  and  in  their 
support  as  an  assaulting  column  on  the  works 
of  the  enemy.  On  coming  to  the  position 
where  the  formation  was  to  be  made  it  was 
found  to  be  impracticable  on  account  of  the 
location  of  part  of  the  4th  corps  on  our  right. 
The  brigade  was  then  formed  in  close  col- 
umn of  battalion  immediately  in  rear  of 
the  1st  brigade.  Soon  after  this  order  was 
changed,  and  the  two  brigades  were  directed 
to  be  formed  in  two  lines  in  rear  of  the  1st 
brigade,  which  was  being  done,  but  before 
the  completion  of  the  deployment  orders 
were  given  to  advance  at  once,  and  as  rapidly 
as  possible  support  the  1st  brigade,  which 
was  making  an  advance  on  the  enemy's 
works.  Th©  brigade  was  moved  forward  at 


THE  BATTLE   OF  KESACA.  21 

once  in  the  following  order :  First  line,  85th 
Indiana,  Col.  Baird,  on  the  right,  19th  Mich- 
igan, Col.  Gilbert,  on  our  left.  Second  line, 
20th  Connecticut,  Col.  Ross,  on  right,  22d 
Wisconsin,  Col.  Utley,  on  the  left.  Third 
line,  33d  Indiana,  Major  Miller,  in  the  rear 
of  22d  Wisconsin.  The  brigade  was  thus 
formed  in  a  narrow  ravine,  very  thickly 
wooded  with  low  and  bushy  trees,  with  steep 
hillsides,  and  out  of  view  of  the  enemy  and 
their  works.  The  advance  was  difficult  up 
this  steep  hill.  At  the  time  of  receiving  this 
order  to  advance,  and  throughout  the  move- 
ment up  the  hill,  the  2d  division  of  the  20th 
corps  was  moving  by  the  left  flank  in  from 
six  to  eight  lines,  from  right  to  left,  through 
my  brigade,  breaking  and  intercepting  the 
lines,  and  preventing  every  regimental  com- 
mander from  seeing  his  own  troops,  or  the 
possibility  for  the  time  of  managing  them. 
The  brigade,  notwithstanding,  moved  for- 
ward over  the  hill  and  onward,  carrying 
some  men  of  the  2d  division  with  them  and 
losing  others  of  its  own  men,  who  were  swept 
with  the  heavier  current  to  the  left. 

The  summit  of  the  hill  is  covered  with 
woods,  but  the  slope  beyond  and  the  valley 
are  cleared  in  front  of  a  portion  of  the  rebel 
works,  which  were  situated  on  the  hill  be- 


22  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

yond,  and  which  here  presented,  opposite 
our  right,  a  salient  angle  receding  with  a 
long  sweep  sharply  to  our  left.  The  brigade 
advanced  across  a  portion  of  the  field  to  the 
works  and  the  rest  along  the  woods  to  its 
left.  This  was  done  under  a  tremendous  fire 
of  artillery  and  musketry,  which  killed  and 
wounded  many  of  our  men,  but  they  ad- 
vanced bravely  and  planted  the  colors  of  the 
19th  Michigan  and  22d  Wisconsin  in  a  small 
fort  of  the  enemy,  occupied  by  four  of  their 
field  pieces.  Such  was  the  fury  of  the 
enemy's  fire  that  the  men  could  not  advance 
further,  and  here  a  portion  of  the  1st  and  2d 
brigades  remained  during  the  day,  holding 
this  position  under  the  very  brow  of  the  rebel 
earthworks.  A  portion  retired  to  the  left  and 
rear.  Soon  after  my  arrival  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  rebel  works  Gen.  Ward  was  wounded 
and  left  the  field.  I  took  command  of  the 
forces  then  and  made  the  effort  to  charge 
and  take  the  enemy's  works,  but  such  was 
the  disorganized  condition  of  the  men  of  both 
brigades  and  the  terrific  force  of  their  fire 
that  such  charge  failed,  and  nothing  more 
could  be  done  than  to  hold  the  place  up  to 
the  line  of  their  breastwprks.  In  one  of 
these  charges  late  in  the  day  the  lllth 
Pennsylvania  (Col.  Cobham)  gallantly  par- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  KE6AGA.  23 

ticipated.  Remaining  here  until  nearly  sun- 
set I  received  an  order  to  go  to  the  rear  with 
the  men  of  my  command  then  with  me.  I 
returned,  leaving  the  men  where  I  had  placed 
them,  near  the  rebel  breastworks,  and  this 
was  approved.  A  portion  of  the  brigade 
having  been  formed  in  the  rear  and  to  the 
left  after  the  first  charge,  I  took  them  by  the 
order  of  Gen.  Butterfield  to  the  left  still 
further  to  meet  and  assist  in  repelling  a 
charge  then  made  by  the  enemy  upon  the 
left  of  our  position.  The  33d  Indiana  at 
once  charged  forward  and  promptly  met  the 
attack.  After  a  severe  fight,  in  which  the 
rebels  suffered  much,  they  were  repulsed  and 
retired.  Gen.  Butterfield  then  directed  me 
to  send  200  men  to  reinforce  the  men  of 
my  own  brigade  near  the  rebel  earthworks. 
This  was  done  under  the  command  of  Lieut.- 
Col.  Buckingham,  of  the  20th  Connecticut. 
His  force  assisted  in  digging  the  side  of  the 
fort  away  and  in  dragging  out  four  pieces  of 
artillery  at  night. 

The  losses  of  the  brigade  in  the  action 
are  as  follows :  Killed,  28 ;  wounded,  200.  I 
refer  to  the  reports  of  the  regimental  com- 
manders for  the  names  of  officers  and  men 
killed  and  wounded  and  for  acts  of  distin- 
guished merit.  Early  in  the  action  CoL 


24  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

Henry  Gilbert,  19th  Michigan,  was  mortally 
wounded  while  leading  his  men  up  to  the 
rebel  works.  His  life  has  been  gloriously 
sacrificed  to  his  country  in  the  front  rank  of 
his  soldiers.  Capt.  Calmar,  of  the  same 
regiment,  was  killed  on  the  top  of  their  ram- 
parts. Capt.  Patton  and  Lieut.  Flynt,  of  the 
22d  Wisconsin,  were  mortally  wounded  close 
beside  him.  The  conduct  of  the  brigade 
under  the  peculiarly  trying  circumstances 
was  excellent.  Their  determined  and  gal- 
lant charge  secured  the  position  so  boldly 
won  by  the  1st  brigade,  and  together  held 
it  under  the  very  muzzles  of  the  enemy's 
guns  five  hours  in  daylight,  and  their  prompt 
and  vigorous  action  upon  the  left  late  in  the 
day  contributed  powerfully  to  repel  the 
fierce  assaults  of  the  enemy  there.  The  bri- 
gade encamped  on  the  battle-field,  a  detail 
making  breastworks  during  the  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th  the  brigade 
marched  with  the  division,  passing  the  rail- 
road near"  Resaca  and  crossing  the  Cona- 
sanza  on  a  temporary  bridge  left  standing  by 
the  enemy.  At  11  o'clock  at  night  the  bri- 
gade arrived  at  Coosawattie  river  and  crossed 
soon  after  on  a  ferry-boat.  This  was  ac- 
complished at  half-past  ten  on  the  morning 
of  the  17th.  At  2  p.  m.  of  the  17th  the  bri- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  RESACA.  25 

gade  marched,  leaving  a  detail  of  150  men 
to  complete  a  bridge  over  the  Coosawattie 
river,  and  250  men  as  a  train  guard.  Marched 
till  10  p.  m.  and  encamped  with  the  division. 
On  the  morning  of  the  18th  the  brigade 
marched  toward  Cassville,  the  division  push- 
ing the  enemy  in  front.  The  22d  was  left 
with  the  train  as  a  guard.  The  brigade 
moved  on,  having  made  a  march  of  some 
twenty  miles ;  encamped  on  a  gravelly  plateau 
some  four  miles  north  of  Cassville.  Two 
regiments,  the  33d  and  85th  Indiana,  were 
sent  back  two  miles  in  the  night  and  stationed 
as  a  guard  upon  the  road  intersecting  the 
one  to  Cassville.  Upon  the  19th  a  portion 
of  the  brigade  was  ordered  to  advance  with 
the  division  to  the  right  of  the  road  to  Cass- 
ville. The  19th  Michigan,  Major  Griffin, 
and  20th  Connecticut,  Col.  Ross,  were  sent. 
The  33d  and  85th  Indiana  having  come  up 
were  ordered  to  hold  the  Cassville  road  and 
fortify.  This  they  did  until  2  p.  m.  The 
regiments  of  the  brigade  in  advance  occu- 
pied the  right  of  the  division,  and  supported 
the  artillery,  driving  the  enemy  before  them 
with  great  promptness  and  bravery.  At 
2  p.  m.  the  33d  and  85th  Indiana  were  or- 
dered forward  from  their  position  on  the 
road,  and  at  4  p.  m.  joined  the  division  al- 


26  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

ready  formed  and  advanced  upon  the  enemy. 
They  were  hurried  up  and  placed  in  position 
to  the  right  and  rear  of  the  division,  which 
had  arrived  to  a  point  half  a  mile  west  of 
Cassville.  Just  at  this  time  the  19th  Michi- 
gan and  20th  Connecticut  were  ordered  up 
to  support  company  C,  1st  Ohio  artillery, 
which  took  a  position  on  an  eminence  that 
commanded  the  enemy's  lines  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  Cassville  and  to  the  east.  The 
33d  and  85th  Indiana  were  moved  up  and 
formed  the  second  line  in  their  immediate 
rear.  At  dusk  the  19th  Michigan  and  the 
20th  Connecticut  were  advanced  into  the 
town,  supported  by  the  33d  and  85th  Indiana, 
which,  after  a  skirmish,  they  held  and  occu- 
pied during  the  night.  The  streets  were 
then  strongly  barricaded  and  every  prepara- 
tion made  for  a  strenuous  resistance  of  any 
effort  made  to  dislodge  our  forces.  The 
heights  beyond  the  town  were  covered  by 
the  enemy  in  long,  large  numbers,  who  made 
extensive  fortifications  during  the  night  but 
abandoned  them  at  daylight.  The  brigade 
occupied  the  town  at  2  a.  m.  of  the  20th, 
when  it  moved  to  the  west  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  and  encamped  with  the  division,  the 
1st  division  of  the  20th  corps  relieving  us  at 
Cassville.  I  here  take  occasion  to  return 


THE  BATTLE   OF  RESACA.  27 

thanks  to  all  my  staff  for  their  activity  and 
aid  and  obeying  and  executing  all  orders  and 
meeting  all  exigencies.  To  Capt.  A.  G.  Kel- 
lum,  acting  provost  marshal,  Lieut.  Craw- 
ford, A.  A.  A.  G.,  and  Lieuts.  Booth  and 
Reynolds,  my  aids,  I  accord  the  highest 
praise  for  bravery  and  coolness.  The  com- 
manders of  regiments  did,  I  believe,  their 
whole  duty  as  soldiers  and  brave  men. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your    obedient 
servant,  JOHN  COBUKN, 

Colonel  83d  Indiana,  Commanding  Brigade. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

THE   BATTLE    OF   NEW    HOPE    CHURCH. 

On  the  25th  day  of  May  the  brigade  was 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  New  Hope  Church, 
Georgia.  The  following  is  an  extract  from 
Col.  Coburn's  official  report  of  the  engage- 
ment :  "  On  the  25th  of  May  the  brigade 
marched  toward  Dallas  at  9  a.  m.  During 
the  day  there  was  cavalry  skirmishing  in 
front.  In  the  afternoon  at  2  o'clock  the 
brigade  crossed  Pumpkinville  creek.  At  4: 
p.  m.  the  division  arrived  in  the  rear  of  a  po- 
sition held  by  the  1st  and  2d  divisions 
of  the  20th  corps,  in  which  they  had  but  a 
short  time  before  been  attacked  by  a  heavy 
force  in  front  on  the  Dallas  road,  near  New 
Hope  Church.  The  brigade  was  formed  in 
line  of  battle  by  battalions  en  masse,  and 
moved  forward  on  the  right  of  the  road  to 
support  the  3d  brigade  of  this  division,  a 
distance  of  a  mile  through  the  woods  in  the 
direction  of  the  firing.  The  3d  brigade  bore 
off  to  the  left  at  the  sound  of  firing,  and  I 
was  directed  to  advance  to  the  front.  This 
advance,  although  in  the  woods  and  hills, 

28 


BATTLE   OF   NEW   HOPE  CHUECH.  29 

was  executed  as  though  on  drill  ground. 
Coming  under  a  rapid  fire  of  artillery  the 
brigade  was  deployed  in  two  lines,  the  33d 
Indiana  and  the  19th  Michigan  in  front,  the 
85th  Indiana  and  22d  Wisconsin  in  the  rear. 
The  brigade  was  advanced  a  short  distance 
and  halted.  The  country  just  here  is  an  un- 
broken forest,  undulations  from  twenty 
to  thirty  feet  in  height.  The  enemy  was 
posted  on  one  of  these  ridges  and  had  forti- 
fied, having  his  artillery  in  position,  com- 
manding1 the  ground  of  our  advance.  I 
soon  received  an  order  to  relieve  Eobinson's 
brigade  of  the  1st  division,  and  began  the 
advance  with  the  brigade,  but  the  19th  Mich 
igan  was  ordered  by  Gen.  Hooker  to  halt, 
and  then  go  to  the  left  and  relieve  a  regi- 
ment of  the  2d  division  severely  pressed, 
which  it  did  at  once,  pouring  in  a  destruc- 
tive fire.  The  33d  Indiana  was  continued 
on  the  advance  to  the  front  to  relieve  Rob- 
inson's line,  the  22d  Wisconsin  and  85th  In- 
diana being  held  in  reserve.  The  line  before 
named  had  given  way  and  could  not  be 
found,  but  I  soon  did  find  the  front  line  oc- 
cupied by  Gen.  Knife's  brigade  and  a  por- 
tion of  Gen.  Burger's  brigade  of  the  1st  divi- 
sion. Gen.  Knife  requested  me  to  relieve  his 
line,  their  supply  of  ammunition  being  al- 


30  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

most  exhausted.  This  I  did  so  far  as  I 
could  with  the  33d  Indiana  and  its  550  mus- 
kets. The  regiment  advanced  without  a 
falter  in  line,  passing  through  Knife's  line 
and  delivering  volley  after  volley,  soon  si- 
lenced the  musketry  which  had  been  heavy 
and  was  increasing  in  front.  During  this  ad- 
vance the  enemy  poured  in  upon  us  a  tremen- 
dous fire  of  artillery,  raking  the  ground  upon 
which  we  stood.  Shells,  grape  shot,  canis 
ter,  railroad  spikes  and  every  deadly  missile 
rained  upon  us.  I  aver  that  no  regiment 
could  have  borne  with  more  unfaltering  dar- 
ing this  fearful  cannonade  and  musketry  fire 
than  did  the  33d  Indiana  that  day.  So,  too, 
with  the  19th  Michigan  on  the  left  of  the 
road.  The  fight  continued  until  long  after 
dark.  A  cold  and  heavy  rain  closed  it,  and 
the  men  went  to  work  in  the  darkness  to 
hunt  up  logs  and  sticks  with  which  to  make 
rude  breastworks.  The  19th  Michigan  was 
relieved  at  1  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
33d  Indiana  continued  on  the  front  line  and 
fortified,  laboring  the  entire  night.  The 
losses  in  the  action  were  as  follows :  19th 
Michigan,  1  officer  killed  and  3  wounded, 
Capt.  Bigelow  mortally,  3  men  killed  and  44 
wounded,  total  51 ;  the  33d  Indiana,  3  men 
killed,  2  officers  and  43  men  wounded ;  the 


BATTLE  OF  NEW  HOPE  CHtJEOH.  31 

22d  "Wisconsin,  1  officer  and  8  men  wounded, 
and  1  man  killed ;  the  85th  Indiana  had  1 
officer  and  6  men  wounded ;  making  in  all  1 
officer  and  7  men  killed,  and  7  officers  and 
101  men  wounded,  a  total  of  116.  Many  of 
the  wounded  died,  among  them  Capt.  Bige- 
low,  of  the  19th  Michigan,  an  intelligent,  ac- 
tive, energetic  and  most  efficient  officer.  In 
this  battle  the  2d  brigade,  while  engaged, 
covered  at  least  a  fourth  of  the  entire  fight- 
ing front  of  the  corps,  and  held  it  until  the 
contest  closed  in  the  impenetrable  darkness 
of  a  midnight  storm.  Not  a  gun  was  fired 
upon  the  right,  and  it  boldly  held  its  posi- 
tion there  with  the  possibility  of  a  flank  at 
any  moment.  Late  at  night  the  lllth  Penn- 
sylvania, Col.  Cobham,  came  from  the  left 
and  took  position,  erecting  breastworks  on 
the  right ;  and  on  his  right  the  1st  brigade  of 
the  division  formed  and  continued  the  line 
of  works,  refusing  it  almost  directly  to  the 
rear.  In  this  battle  Major  Miller,  command- 
ing the  33d  Indiana,  and  Major  Griffin,  19th 
Michigan,  greatly  distinguished  themselves 
for  coolness  and  daring.  Early  in  the 
morning  of  the  26th  the  22d  Wisconsin  and 
85th  Indiana  took  their  position  in  the  front 
line,  relieving  the  33d  Indiana  and  the  123d 
New  York.  The  fortifications  were 


32  THE  OKLAHOMA   SCOT7T. 

strengthened,  and  a  continued  and  destruc- 
tive skirmish  fire  was  kept  up,  in  which  the 
brigade  lost  2  officers  and  27  men.  At  dark 
the  brigade  was  relieved  and  moved  to  the 
right,  in  the  rear  of  the  1st  brigade.  May 
27  the  brigade  moved  forward  and  occupied 
the  works  made  by  the  1st  brigade,  which 
advanced  some  fifty  rods  and  fortified.  May 
28,  remained  in  same  camp  under  a  constant 
skirmish  fire  and  occasional  fire  from  artil- 
lery. May  29,  remained  in  camp. 

At  11  o'clock  at  night  the  enemy  made 
a  demonstration  on  our  left,  which  re- 
sulted in  a  furious  discharge  of  musketry 
and  artillery  for  nearly  an  hour.  We  heard 
heavy  firing  at  a  distance  on  the  right  of  the 
army,  which  proved  to  be  an  attack  on  the 
army  of  the  Tennessee.  May  30  the  brigade 
moved  into  the  front  line,  relieving  the  3d 
brigade.  May  31  the  brigade  remained  in  the 
same  camp.  June  1  the  brigade  was  relieved 
by  a  part  of  Gen.  Morgan  L.  Smith's  division 
of  the  15th  corps  at  1  p.  m.,  and  with  the 
division  marched  in  rear  of  the  army  lines 
northeast  about  four  miles,  passing  the  4th, 
14th  and  23d  corps,  encamping  on  a  precipi- 
tous and  rocky  ridge,  occupied  in  front  by 
the  1st  division  of  the  20th  corps.  June  2d 
the  brigade  marched  southeasterly  two  and 


BATTLE   OF   NEW   HOPE   CHURCH.  33 

a  half  miles  and  halted  in  rear  of  the  23d 
corps,  forming  a  single  line  and  throwing  up 
works  with  bayonets,  cups  and  plates  in  an 
incredibly  short  time,  under  a  fire  from  the 
enemy's  artillery.  Here  Major  Miller,  33d 
Indiana,  was  wounded  in  the  head.  June  3d 
the  brigade  with  the  division  moved  still 
farther  to  the  left  and  northeast  toward 
Ackworth,  following  Hovey's  division  of  the 
28th  corps,  and  in  support  of  it.  After  mov- 
ing a  mile  we  halted  near  Morris'  Mill 
Church,  and  encamped  on  the  extreme  left 
flank  of  the  army.  The  22d  Wisconsin  in 
support  of  a  battery  erected  fortifications. 
By  this  movement  the  right  flank  of  the 
enemy  was  turned  and  he  began  to  retreat. 
June  4th  the  brigade  moved  forward  and  oc- 
cupied the  line  of  Hovey's  division,  which 
had  advanced.  June  5th  remained  in  camp. 
June  6th  the  brigade  marched  at  6  a.  m., 
southeasterly  about  five  miles,  and  struck 
the  Sand  Town  and  Burnt  Hickory  road. 
After  moving  upon  it  a  short  distance  the 
brigade  took  position  at  Mt.  Olivet  Church, 
near  Kemp's  Mill,  on  the  left  of  the  road. 
The  church  was  burning  as  we  approached, 
the  enemy  having  just  passed  to  the  left  and 
eastward.  Pine  Knob  on  the  left  and  Lost 
Mountain  on  the  right  were  plainly  visible 
3 


34  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

from  this  position.  Here  breastworks  were 
erected,  beginning  at  the  road  and  running 
eastward.  The  lines  were  refused  on  the 
right  of  this  brigade  by  the  1st  division,  20th 
corps,  and  on  the  left  by  the  1st  brigade  of 
the  3d  division.  The  brigade  encamped 
here  until  the  15th  of  June,  taking  upon 
the  skirmish  line  six  prisioners.  The  rain 
which  began  on  the  1st  of  June  continued 
almost  daily.  The  roads  became  muddy  and 
rations  scarce,  so  that  the  brigade's  regular 
rations  were  not  issued  for  a  short  time. 
While  here  the  23d  corps  moved  to  our 
right  and  toward  Lost  Mountain,  and  the 
4th  and  14th  corps  to  our  left  toward  Pine 
Knob,  on  which  could  be  seen  the  rebel 
camp* 


CHAPTEK  IV. 

BATTLE   OF   LOST  MOUNTAIN,  OB  GILGAL   CHUECH. 

On  the  15th  of  June  the  brigade  moved 
with  the  division,  and  crossing  the  small 
stream  just  below  Kemp's  Mill  advanced  on 
the  road  toward  Gilgal  (wrongly  called  Gol- 
gotha) Church,  in  a  southeasterly  direction, 
leaving  Lost  Mountain  to  the  right  and  west 
about  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  halted  near  a 
line  of  the  enemy's  works  just  abandoned 
upon  the  left  of  the  road,  and  here  formed  in 
line  of  battle  in  rear  of  the  1st  brigade,  the 
23d  corps  being  on  the  right  of  our  division 
and  the  remainder  of  the  20th  corps  on  the 
left.  Here  the  brigade  remained  about  two 
hours.  At  this  time  the  1st  brigade  ad- 
vanced in  line  of  battle  across  an  open  field, 
broken  in  right  angles  to  our  line  by  a 
ravine  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  to  a  road 
beyond,  where  the  enemy's  skirmishers  were 
posted.  They  were  soon  dislodged.  The 
2d  brigade  was  ordered  to  advance  in  sup- 
port of  the  1st  brigade  in  line  of  battle,  the 
19th  Michigan,  Major  Griffin,  on  the  right. 
On  its  left  the  85th  Indiana,  Ool.  Baird,  the 
35 


36  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

33d  Indiana,  Major  Miller,  on  its  left,  and  the 
22d  Wisconsin,  Col.  Utley,  on  the  left. 
This  movement  was  executed  with  regulari- 
ty and  promptness,  the  right  somewhat  ad- 
vanced. On  arriving  in  the  wood  a  deep 
ravine  was  encountered  in  part  of  the  line, 
and  still  farther  forward  the  ground  ascended, 
forming  a  broken  ridge,  thickly  covered  with 
trees.  The  1st  brigade  met  with  considerable 
resistance  with  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  but 
advanced,  bearing  off  toward  the  right,  a  por- 
tion of  it  crossing  the  road.  Here  it  was 
subjected  to  a  tremendous  fire  of  artillery 
and  musketry,  coming  from  what  proved  to 
be  the  enemy's  first  line  of  earthworks, 
about  two  hundred  yards  in  front,  and  tre- 
mendous volleys  of  musketry  were  returned 
upon  the  retreating  enemy.  The  1st  brigade 
soon  exhausted  their  ammunition,  and  upon 
the  request  of  Brig.-Gen.  Ward  I  relieved 
his  line,  sending  the  85th  Indiana  and  the 
19th  Michigan  to  his  relief  on  the  right  of 
the  road  and  the  33d  Indiana  and  22d  Wis- 
consin on  the  left  of  the  road.  The  troops 
on  the  right  were  subjected  for  a  short  time 
to  the  same  heavy  fire  the  1st  brigade  had 
borne,  but  having  been  directed  by  Col. 
Baird  not  to  return  the  fire  it  soon  ceased. 
It  had  by  this  time  become  dark.  The  troops 


BATTLE  OF  LOST  MOUNTAIN  37 

on  the  left  of  the  road  at  once  began  the 
work  of  fortification  and  continued  it  all 
night.  Those  on  the  right  were  withdrawn 
and  placed  on  the  left  of  the  brigade,  and  in 
like  manner  fortified.  The  front  of  the  bri- 
gade was  composed  of  the  33d  Indiana  and 
eight  companies  of  the  22d  Wisconsin.  The 
remainder  of  the  line  was  refused  on  the 
left  along  the  edge  of  a  ravine,  a  portion  of 
the  85th  Indiana  crossing  it  to  the  extreme 
left.  An  effort  was  made  throughout  the 
night  to  connect  our  line  with  the  1st  divis- 
ion on  the  left,  but  such  was  the  darkness 
and  the  distance  that  it  was  not  effected  un- 
til after  daylight.  While  with  his  regi- 
ment upon  the  side  of  the  road  Major  Griffin 
was  mortally  wounded,  and  died  during  the 
night.  He  was  a  gallant,  faithful  and  intel- 
ligent officer,  and  nobly  did  his  duty  at  all 
times.  His  death  was  a  public  loss.  Ten 
men  were  wounded  in  the  brigade  during 
the  fight.  Col.  Baird  exhibited  remarkable 
coolness  and  skill  in  managing  his  troops  on 
the  right  of  the  road  under  a  galling  and  de- 
structive fire,  and  in  withdrawing  them  almost 
unhurt,  when  a  want  of  caution  might  have 
sacrificed  many  of  the  men.  During  the 
night  one  regiment  of  the  23d  corps  joined 
my  right,  refusing  its  line  square  to  the  rear 


88  THE  .OKLAHOMA  SOOUT. 

along  the  left  of  the  road.  The  men  labored 
with  untiring  patience  at  the  earthworks, 
and  by  morning  built  a  strong  line  within 
two  hundred  yards  of  the  rebel  lines  and 
under  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery.  On 
the  16th  of  June  the  brigade  remained  in 
the  same  camp,  strengthening  the  works  and 
skirmishing,  the  enemy  having  in  many 
places  a  near  and  fatal  range  upon  us  from 
his  principal  line  of  works. 

The  loss  of  the  brigade  was  4  killed  and 
24  wounded.  On  the  morning  of  the  17th 
the  enemy  evacuated  his  position,  and  our 
skirmishers  at  5  o'clock  occupied  his  works, 
which  were  found  to  be  heavy  and  strong. 
The  skirmishers  were  advanced  at  once  and 
found  the  enemy  about  three  ahead  toward 
Marietta.  At  noon  the  brigade  with  the  di- 
vision moved  forward  in  advance,  forming  in 
line  with  the  85th  Indiana  as  skirmishers,  on 
a  wooded  ridge  beyond  a  small  stream,  and 
well  fortified.  The  brigade  was  advanced 
through  a.  very  dense  wood  about  half  a  mile 
to  a  large  wood,  and  formed  in  line  between 
the  2d  division  on  the  right  and  the  1st  di- 
vision on  the  left,  about  400  yards  from  the 
enemy's  position.  Earthworks  were  at  once 
built  under  a  slight  fire  from  the  enemy's 
artillery.  On  the  18th  of  June  the  brigade 


BJLTTLE   OF   LOST  MOUNTAIN.  39 

remained  in  the  same  camp,  skirmishing 
sharply.  Our  loss  was  6  in  killed  and 
wounded,  our  artillery  in  the  meanwhile 
playing  with  great  activity  upon  the  enemy. 
The  rain  was  excessive.  June  19th  the  ene- 
my evacuated  his  position  and  our  skirmish- 
ers occupied  his  works  at  4  a.  m.  The  works 
were  found  to  be  very  strong  with  well  pre- 
pared abatis.  Six  prisoners  were  captured. 
At  10  o'clock  the  brigade  marched  in  rear 
of  the  division.  The  rain  fell  in  torrents, 
notwithstanding  which  the  brigade  advanced 
and  crossed  a  branch  of  base's  creek  after 
an  hour's  delay  on  account  of  the  sudden 
rise  of  the  water,  which  carried  away  the 
bridges  and  covered  the  road.  Having 
crossed  this  stream  we  advanced  along  the 
road  toward  Marietta  and  formed  in  line  of 
battle  on  a  wooded  ridge  half  a  mile  to  the 
right  of  the  road  and  in  the  rear  of  the  di- 
vision already  formed  in  two  lines  in  our 
front.  The  division  advanced  three-fourths 
of  a  mile,  finding  the  enemy  in  front  and  on 
the  right  flank.  A  position  was  here  taken, 
and  the  brigade  again  took  the  front,  build- 
ing fortifications.  During  the  night  it  was 
moved  to  the  left,  building  outer  works  on 
that  line,  being  under  orders  to  connect  with 
the  2d  division,  but  failed  to  find  it  before 


40  THE  OKLAHOMA  SOOUT. 

morning.  On  the  20th  the  brigade  moved 
again  to  the  front  and  left  and  connected 
with  the  2d  division,  20th  corps,  building  a 
new  line  of  works.  On  the  21st  the  brigade 
was  relieved  by  Gen.  KimbalPs  brigade  of 
the  4th  corps,  and  advanced  soon  after  with 
it,  building  another  line  of  works  half  a  mile 
in  advance. 


OHAPTEK  Y. 

BATTLE   OF   GULP'S   FARM. 

On  the  22d  of  June  the  brigade  was  or- 
dered to  march,  and  did  so  at  8  a.  m.  in  sup- 
port of  the  3d  brigade.  It  advanced  half  a 
mile  and  found  the  enemy  in  front  posted  on 
a  high  ridge,  with  a  strong  skirmish  line  in 
front.  The  3d  brigade  marched  across  an 
open  field  without  resistance.  Two  regi- 
ments of  my  brigade  were  ordered  to  advance 
through  the  woods  and  form  on  the  left. 
The  22d  Wisconsin  and  33d  Indiana  moved 
forward  in  line  of  battle  at  once.  The  en- 
emy fell  back  after  a  short  but  sharp  resist- 
ance, and  we  took  a  position  on  the  ridge  to 
the  left  of  the  3d  brigade.  Very  soon  we 
received  a  severe  flank  fire  on  the  left.  The 
4th  corps  not  having  advanced  with  us  the 
left  of  the  33d  Indiana  was  repulsed  at  once, 
and  I  had  the  19th  Michigan  and  85th  Indi- 
ana immediately  brought  up  and  formed  on 
the  left  and  facing  in  that  direction,  except 
on  the  extreme  left,  which  faced  to  the  front. 
During  this  time  the  brigade  received  and 
gave  a  fatal  fire,  which  soon  repulsed  the 
41 


42  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

enemy.  I  at  once  requested  Gen.  Kimball, 
of  the  4th  corps,  to  advance  on  my  left  and 
connect  with  my  line,  which  was  done  with 
great  promptness  and  the  enemy  checked. 
At  3  p.  m.  the  enemy  charged  our  line  with 
great  vigor,  but  was  repulsed  with  heavy 
loss.  In  the  morning  my  bridge  pioneers 
had  reported  under  division  orders  to  Col. 
"Wood  of  the  3d  brigade,  and  were  with  him 
most  of  the  day.  The  intrenching  tools  of 
the  division  were  all  given  to  the  1st  and  2d 
brigades,  but  notwithstanding  this  my  men 
fortified  with  rails  and  bayonets,  scooping 
the  dirt  with  their  hands  and  tin-cups  until 
quite  a  safe  work  was  constructed.  At  5  p. 
m.  the  brigade  was  relieved  by  G-en.  Kim- 
ball's  and  Harker's  brigades,  of  the  4th 
corps.  In  this  battle  the  22d  "Wisconsin  and 
33d  Indiana,  by  their  prompt  and  bold  ad- 
vance, distinguished  themselves  and  their 
commanders  —  Col.  Utley  and  Major  Miller. 
Adjutant  Charles  H.  Porter,  of  the  33d  In- 
diana, was  instantly  killed  while  endeavoring 
to  check  the  attack  on  our  left.  Thus  fell  in 
his  early  manhood  a  bright,  brave,  active 
officer,  whose  promise  was  that  of  a  most 
useful  and  brilliant  career.  Capfc.  Barton, 
Lieut.  Chandler  and  Lieut.  McKinney,  of  the 
3M  Indiana,  and  Lieut.  Shaffer,  of  the  19th 


BATTLE   OF  GULP'S   FABM.  4:3 

Michigan,  were  severely  wounded  during  the 
day. 

On  being  relieved  the  brigade,  in  advance 
of  the  division,  marched  two  miles  to  the 
right,  to  reinforce  a  part  of  Gen.  Williams' 
division  of  the  20th  corps,  which  had  also 
been  severly  engaged,  the  enemy  having 
attacked  him  soon  after  our  repulse  in  front. 
On  arriving  here  the  brigade  rested  four 
hours,  and  again  advanced  to  the  immediate 
rear  of  Knife's  brigade.  The  loss  in  this 
engagement  of  this  brigade  was  1  officer 
killed,  4:  wounded,  5  privates  killed  and  53 
wounded — in  all  63  wounded.  The  regi- 
ments lost  as  follows :  33d  Indiana,  4  offi- 
cers and  32  men ;  the  19th  Michigan,  1  officer 
and  10  men ;  22d  Wisconsin,  12  men ;  85th 
Indiana,  4  men.  On  the  23d  of  June  the 
brigade,  again  in  advance  of  the  division, 
moved  to  the  right  at  9  a.  m.,  and  moving 
to  the  east  on  the  Powder  Springs  and  Mari- 
etta road  passed  Scribner's  Female  Institute, 
took  position  on  the  left  of  the  road,  in  front, 
within  musket  range  of  the  enemy's  works, 
on  the  immediate  left  of  HascalPs  division 
of  the  23d  corps.  The  brigade  was  formed 
in  single  line  and  at  once  put  up  earthworks. 
This  was  at  a  point  three  miles  west  of 
Marietta.  Immediately  in  the  front  was  the 


4:4:  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

line  of  the  enemy's  works,  inclosing  that 
town  and  Kenesaw  Mountain,  vast  in  length 
and  made  formidable  by  great  labor  upon 
strong  natural  fortifications.  The  brigade 
occupied  the  camp  taken  on  the  23d  up  to 
the  evening  of  the  26th  of  June  in  front. 
On  that  day  it  was  relieved  by  the  1st  bri- 
gade, and  encamped  a  short  distance  in  the 
rear. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  along  the  whole  line 
of  the  army,  the  artillery  opened  upon  the 
enemy.  The  brigade  moved  at  once.  An 
attack  was  made  on  the  left  by  the  14th  and 
4th  corps  in  great  force,  but  failing  of  success 
we  did  not  move.  On  the  28th  of  June  we 
remained  in  the  same  camp.  During  this 
entire  time  skirmishing  was  constantly  kept 
up  with  the  enemy  who  was  in  close  prox- 
imity, with  considerable  loss.  In  the  period 
covered  by  this  report  the  brigade  did  an  un- 
paralleled amount  of  labor,  almost  daily  mak- 
ing lines  of  works,  and  this  with  astonishing 
alacrity  and  cheerfulness.  In  all  that  consti- 
tutes true  soldiers,  in  hard  working,  hard 
fighting,  long  endurance,  cheerful  bearing 
and  manly  promptness,  they  filled  full  the 
measure  of  the  trying  hour.  In  the  battle 
of  "New  Hope  Church,  in  Dallas  woods,  May 
25,  of  Lost  Mountain,  June  15,  and  of  Gulp's 


45 

Farm,  June  22,  officers  and  men  vied  with 
each  other  in  heroic  daring.  I  forwarded 
herewith  reports  of  regimental  commanders 
and  with  them  the  list  of  killed  and  wounded. 
In  them  will  be  found  more  especial  mention 
of  worthy  deeds  of  the  officers  and  men  of 
my  command.  The  entire  losses  during  this 
period  were  as  follows  :  Four  officers  killed, 
15  officers  wounded;  30  men  killed,  274 
wounded  and  7  missing ;  a  total  of  330. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

PERSONAL   REMINISCENCES. 

In  this  connection  I  must  mention  the 
original  colonel  of  the  19th  Michigan  volun- 
teer infantry,  Col.  H.  C.  Gilbert,  who  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Resaca  while  leading 
a  charge.  I  remember  him  as  a  gray-headed 
man,  but  a  warrior,  every  inch  of  him.  He 
was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  but  he  had  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  his  officers  and 
men.  His  death  was  mourned  by  all.  The 
boys  had  presented  him  with  a  splendid  dun 
saddle  horse,  which  they  captured  from  a 
bushwhacker  in  the  Cumberland  mountains, 
and  went  by  the  name  of  "  Bushwhacker." 
The  Colonel  was  shot  off  him  at  Resaca. 
"  Bushwacker  "  went  through  the  campaign 
to  the  sea,  marched  with  the  boys  to  Wash- 
ington City,  took  a  proud  part  in  the  grand 
army  parade,  was  shipped  by  L.  M.  Wing, 
quartermaster  of  the  19th  Michigan,  to  Cold- 
water,  Mich.,  and  turned  over  to  Col.  Gil- 
bert's widow. 

Major  Anderson  entered  the  regiment  as 
captain  of  company  H,  and  took  command 
46 


PERSONAL   REMINISCENCES.  47 

s 

of  the  regiment  at  Peach  Tree  Creek,  after 
the  wounding  of  Major  Baker.  He  saw  the 
old  19th  through  the  war  and  conducted  us 
home.  He  endeared  himself  to  us  all,  and  if 
he  is  still  alive,  and  his  eyes  should  fall  on 
these  lines,  I  wish  him  to  believe  that  I  re- 
member him  gratefully. 

Major  L.  M.  Wing  and  Capt.  Dave  East- 
man were  brigade  staff  officers,  the  formei 
acting  as  brigade  quartermaster-general,  and 
I  remember  that  they  were  regarded  by  the 
soldiers  generally  as  very  efficient  officers. 

"We  marched  out  of  Chattanooga  in  pursuit 
of  Gen.  J.  E.  Johnston's  army,  full  of  faith 
that  we  could  whip  the  enemy  when  we 
caught  them.  After  a  couple  of  weeks  of 
marching  and  camping  we  had  quite  a  scrim- 
mage at  Buzzard  Koost,  where  the  rebels 
were  driven  back  without  much  trouble,  but 
a  couple  of  days  afterward,  on  the  15th  of 
May,  at  Eesaca,  a  serious  engagement  was 
fought,  in  which  our  regiment,  the  19th 
Michigan,  charged  the  enemy's  breastworks, 
capturing  a  battery  of  four  guns,  called  the 
Belle  of  Georgia.  We  lost  here  our  Col.  H. 
C.  Gilbert,  who  was  shot  from  his  horse 
while  right  up  to  the  breastworks,  receiving 
a  mortal  wound.  He  was  a  brave  man,  and 
was  worshiped  by  his  men,  who  would  have 

4 


48  THE   OKLAHOMA    SCOUT. 

followed  him  anywhere  he  asked  them  to  go. 
Oapt.  Collom,  company  I,  a  German,  was 
killed  outright.  Besides  these  the  loss  of  the 
regiment  in  non-commissioned  officers  and 
privates  was  quite  severe.  In  the  charge  my 
bunkmate,  Hermann  F.  Dibble,  was  shot 
down  by  my  side.  We  left  some  of  our  best 
men  on  this  bloody  field. 

Our  next  fight  and  victory  was  at  Cass- 
ville.  I  speak  of  this  because  that  day  we 
marched  thirty-five  miles,  and  five  of  it  in 
line  of  battle,  through  the  woods.  The  next 
place  we  struck  was  Kenesaw  Mountain.  I 
was  on  the  skirmish  line  that  day  and  I  still 
thought  of  that  hay-field  and  the  many 
advantages  it  posessed  over  the  situation  I 
was  then  in.  My  regiment  was  at  the  right 
of  the  road  that  leads  from  Marietta  to 
Atlanta,  in  the  edge  of  a  wood  looking  out  on 
a  field,  and  we  had  previously  built  so  many 
useless  lines  of  breastworks  that  we  wanted 
to  be  satisfied  we  were  going  to  use  them 
before  building  any  more.  We  had  not  long 
to  wait  before  we  saw  the  rebels  coming  on 
us  en  masse.  We  were  ordered  to  move  to 
the  right  three  or  four  hundred  steps.  We 
were  told  to  wait  until  they  came  close 
before  firing,  and  for  the  front  rank  to  rest 
on  one  knee  to  give  the  rear  rank  a  chance  to 


PERSONAL   REMINISCENCES.  49 

•> 

shoot.  While  in  this  expectant  position,  and 
lamenting  the  absence  of  breastworks,  one  of 
our  batteries  came  up  and  unlimbered,  and 
the  way  it  poured  canister  into  that  mass  of 
rebels  was  a  caution.  But  it  had  its  desired 
effect,  and  the  Johnnies  had  to  seek  shelter. 
In  the  meantime  we  were  not  idle,  and  they 
didn't  get  through  our  line. 

The  next,  day  was  very  warm.  After  bury- 
ing the  dead  we  moved  to  the  right  and 
camped  in  the  woods.  During  our  stay  there 
being  detailed  on  picket  duty  I  one  day 
swam  over  the  Chattahoochee  river,  and  had 
a  little  friendly  confab  with  the  rebs.  I 
swapped  a  rubber  blanket  for  a  plug  of 
tobacco.  I  got  from  them,  also,  a  copy  of 
an  Atlanta  paper,  which  I  sent  to  my  father 
at  Coldwater. 

Our  next  fight  was  at  Peach  Tree  creek. 
We  broke  camp,  crossed  the  Chattahoochee 
river,  also  Peach  Tree  creek.  We  took  our 
station  in  the  corn-field  and  calculated  to 
have  dinner  there,  but  the  enemy  appearing 
we  were  ordered  to  advance,  and  move  up 
the  hill  to  get  a  position  near  an  old  cotton- 
gin.  Of  the  fight  that  ensued  I  can  only 
speak  for  myself  and  company  —  and  my 
hands  were  full  to  look  after  them.  At  many 
parts  of  the  line  there  was  a  hand-to-hand 


50  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

struggle.  A  shallow  gulley  in  the  road  af- 
forded us  some  protection  while  we  were 
making  it  hot  for  the  charging  rebels.  I  had 
piled  some  rails  in  front  of  where  I  lay,  but  a 
shell  came  and  scattered  them  like  chaff.  I 
hugged  that  ditch  mighty  close  for  a  few 
moments.  The  battle  closed  about  night, 
with  the  complete  repulse  of  the  rebels.  My 
brother  John  was  in  company  C,  which  I 
knew  had  been  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight, 
and  I  was  consequently  extremely  anxious 
to  know  if  anything  had  happened  him. 
Without  stopping  to  eat  I  commenced  the 
search  over  the  field  where  our  regiment  had 
been  engaged.  I  turned  over  more  than 
twenty  corpses,  fearful  that  each  one  would 
prove  to  be  my  brother.  At  last  I  found 
a  little  fellow  lying  in  a  ditch  unhurt.  He 
told  me  my  brother  had  been  taken  back  to 
the  hospital  with  a  wound  in  the  head.  I 
went  to  the  division  hospital  and  found  him 
sitting  on  a  log  with  a  wet  towl  on  his 
head.  He  was  as  much  worried  about  me  as 
I  had  been  about  him,  and  his  first  words 
were,  "  Did  you  get  through  safe  ?"  His 
wound  did  not  prove  very  serious.  In  this 
fight  we  lost  our  Major  Baker.  "We  had 
previously  lost  Major  Griffith  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Burnt  Hickory,  after  the  taking  of 


PERSONAL   REMINISCENCES.  51 

> 

Cassville.  Besides  Major  Baker  the  regi- 
ment suffered  a  severe  loss  of  men  in  this 
fight. 

While  searching  for  my  brother  I  came 
across  a  man  on  his  hands  and  knees.  I 
pulled  him  into  the  moonlight  'and  discov- 
ered at  once  by  his  beard  that  he  was  not 
my  brother.  A  musket  ball  had  passed  from 
one  side  o±  his  forehead  to  the  other,  tearing 
a  gash  through  which  his  brains  were  oozing. 
He  didn't  utter  a  word  nor  even  a  groan. 
When  I  let  him  go  he  crept  back  into  the 
brush  again.  I  had  no  other  thought  but 
that  he  would  die,  but  my  brother  told  me 
he  afterward  saw  him  at  Nashville. 

I  was  detailed  to  bury  the  dead  next  day, 
and  found  it  a  hard  as  well  as  a  sad  work.  I 
may  add  right  here  that  by  this  time  every 
disagreeable  feature  connected  with  that 
hay-field  had  disappeared,  and  it  seemed 
about  the  most  desirable  place  on  earth. 

Our  next  move  brought  us  in  sight  of 
Altanta.  We  built  a  strong  line  of  works 
and  lay  there  a  couple  of  weeks.  We  were 
under  artillery  fire  for  many  days.  We  fell 
back  to  the  Chattahoochee  river,  where  we 
lay  a  couple  of  weeks  and  then  marched 
into  Atlanta.  I  was  on  the  skirmish  line  as 
we  went  into  the  city.  I  had  a  good  time 


2  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

in  Atlanta.  We  were  paid  off  here,  and  got 
a  chance  to  vote  for  Lincoln  for  President  a 
second  term.  The  man  who  came  to  take 
votes  also  got  a  good  deal  of  money  from 
the  boys  to  carry  back  to  their  homes,  but 
he  reported  he  was  robbed  on  the  way  and 
the  money  was  never  heard  of  again. 


CHAPTER  YIL 

BATTLE  OF  PEACH  TREE  CREEK. 

The  official  reports  of  Col.  John  Coburn, 
commanding  our  brigade,  give  so  satisfac- 
tory an  account  of  the  movements  of  my 
company  before  Atlanta  that  I  will  give 
them  in  order : 

HDQRS.  3D  BRIGADE,  3i>  DIVISION,  20TH  A.  C., 
CAMP  IN  FRONT  OF  ATLANTA,  GA.,  June  28, 1864. 

CAPT.  JOHN  SPEED,  A.  A.  G.  3d  Div.  20th 

A.  C. : 

Captain^ — I  have  the  honor  to  make  the 
following  report  of  the  operations  of  the  2d 
brigade,  3d  division,  20th  corps,  from  the 
29th  of  June  to  this  date.  On  the  29th  day 
of  June  the  brigade  was  encamped  on  the 
Powder  Springs  road,  north  side,  about  three 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Marietta,  Georgia, 
behind  earth  works  recently  erected  by  it. 
Ma j. -Gen.  Butterfield  having  leave  of  ab- 
sence, Brig.-Gen.  Ward  assumed  command  of 
the  division.  On  the  30th  of  June  the  bri- 
gade remained  in  the  same  camp,  the  enemy 
remaining  as  before,  close  in  front  in  their 
works.  On  the  30th  of  June  the  brigade 
53 


54:  THE    OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

was  relieved  by  the  1st  brigade  of  the  divis- 
ion, and  moved  a  short  distance  to  the  rear. 
On  the  1st  day  of  July  we  remained  in  the 
same  camp,  the  men  washing  and  cleaning 
their  clothes  and  arms.  On  the  2d  of  July 
remained  in  the  same  camp.  On  the  3d  of 
July  the  enemy,  at  2  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
evacuated  his  position  in  front,  abandoning 
the  lines  by  which  he  holds  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain and  Marietta,  which  our  forces  at  once 
occupied.  The  brigade  at  an  early  hour 
moved  out  with  the  division  on  the  Marietta 
road  to  the  intersection  of  Sand  Town  road, 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  Marietta.  Here 
we  came  under  fire  of  two  batteries  of  the 
enemy,  stationed  southeast  of  us  toward  the 
railroad.  The  first  brigade  was  halted  here, 
and  this  brigade  ordered  to  advance  on  the 
Sand  Town  road  a  mile  upon  a  reconnois- 
sance.  The  enemy  was  not  found  upon  this 
road,  and  a  short  advance  farther  brought  us 
to  the  second  division  of  the  20th  corps,  who 
were  advancing  directly  east  and  at  right 
angles  to  our  direction,  and  skirmishing  in 
front  to  our  left.  The  brigade  passed  the  2d 
division,  and  throwing  out  skirmishers  and 
flankers,  advanced  some  five  miles  south  to  a 
point  quite  near  the  enemy's  work  on  the 
left.  Here,  they  appearing  in  strong  force 


BATTLE  OF  PEACH  TREE  OEEEK.      55 

^ 

and  opening  on  us  with  their  artillery,  we 
halted.  The  brigade  was  formed  in  two  lines 
and  fortified.  The  shells  of  the  enemy  did 
but  comparatively  little  harm,  wounding  but 
two  men  in  the  brigade.  This  day  we  took 
twenty-five  prisoners.  At  4  o'clock  p.  m.  the 
brigade  was  relieved  by  Morgan's  brigade  of 
Davis'  division  of  the  14th  corps,  and  moved 
to  the  right  of  the  road,  crossing  a  branch  of 
the  Nickajack  creek  and  encamping  for  the 
night  with  the  division  at  a  point  near  seven 
miles  west  of  south  of  Marietta.  On  the  4th 
of  July  the  brigade  moved  two  and  a  half 
miles  south  and  near  to  Mill  Grove,  leaving 
the  rebel  works  to  the  left,  and  encamped 
there  for  the  night,  near  portions  of  the  16th 
and  23d  corps. 

On  the  4th  of  July  the  brigade  moved 
southeast,  passing  through  the  works  of  the 
enemy,  which  had  been  evacuated  the  night 
before,  meeting  a  portion  of  the  16th  corps, 
which  passed  to  our  right.  The  brigade 
crossed  Nickajack  creek  at  2  o'clock  p.  m., 
and  advanced  about  two  miles  and  encamped 
on  a  high  range  of  hills  overlooking  the 
Chattahoochee  river  with  the  division  and 
corps.  July  6th  we  moved  about  two  miles  to 
the  left  and  east,  and  encamped  on  the  same 
range  of  hills,  the  enemy  now  being  in  his 


56  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

last  line  of  works  this  side  of  the  Chatta- 
hoochee  river.  The  brigade  remained  in 
this  camp  until  the  17th  of  July,  resting, 
refitting  and  preparing  for  the  advance.  On 
the  10th  of  July  the  enemy  evacuated  his 
position  this  side  of  the  river  in  our  front. 
On  the  17th  the  brigade  with  the  division 
marched  eastwardly,passing  Yining's  Station, 
on  the  Chattanooga  &  Atlanta  railroad,  and 
going  to  the  river  crossed  it  at  Pace's  ferry 
on  two  parallel  pontoon  bridges  without  re- 
sistance, the  14th  corps  having  preceded  ours 
at  this  point.  The  brigade,  having  ad- 
vanced about  three  miles,  encamped  near 
Nance's  creek,  a  branch  of  Peach  Tree  creek, 
and  on  the  Buckhead  road.  July  18  the 
brigade  advanced  toward  Buckhead  in  line  of 
battle,  some  two  miles.  It  having  been  as- 
certained the  14th  corps  was  already  in  that 
place  we  marched  by  the  flank  and  encamped 
near  Buckhead  for  the  night  on  the  right  of 
the  road  with  the  division.  July  19  the 
brigade  remained  in  the  same  camp.  July 
20  the  brigade  in  advance  of  and  with  the 
division  moved  toward  Atlanta,  due  south, 
and  at  11  a.  m.  crossed  Peach  Tree  creek 
with  the  division  at  a  point  bridged  by  New- 
ton's division  of  the  14th  corps.  Our  division 
had  orders  to  fill  the  interval  between  New- 


BATTLE  OF  PEACH  TREE  CREEK.      57 

ton's  division  and  Geary's  division  of  the 
20th  corps,  which  crossed  to  our  right  and 
below  us.  The  pickets  of  the  enemy  occu- 
pied the  position  we  were  ordered  to  as- 
sume. Two  regiments  were  ordered  to  ad- 
vance as  skirmishers.  My  brigade  furnished 
the  22d  Wisconsin,  under  command  of  Lieut. 
Col.  Bloodgood,  who  promptly  advanced, 
covering  almost  the  entire  front,  and  leaving 
but  a  small  space  for  the  136th  New  York  of 
the  3d  brigade.  The  skirmishers  of  the 
enemy  were  driven  off  and  pursued  for  nearly 
a  half  mile  out  of  the  valley  and  over  a  low 
range  of  hills  to  the  south,  when  the  skir- 
mishers halted,  joining  to  those  of  the  4th 
corps  on  the  left  and  of  Gen.  Geary  on  the 
right,  who  also  advanced.  Peach  Tree  creek 
is  a  narrow,  deep  and  muddy  stream,  about 
forty  feet  in  width,  and  varying  from  four  to 
twelve  feet  in  depth  and  impassable  except 
by  bridges.  The  valley  is  narrow,  being 
about  200  yards  wide  at  our  position,  level  and 
cleared.  The  hills  gradually  rise  from  it  to 
the  south  some  seventy  feet  in  400  yards. 
These  slopes  in  our  front  were  for  the 
most  part  cleared,  and  except  on  the  left, 
where  there  is  a  small  thick  grove  of  pine, 
for  a  great  portion  of  the  space.  Passing 
over  the  first  ridge  a  wooded  ravine  is 


58  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

reached,  and  running  along  its  bottom  is  a 
small  stream  flowing  toward  the  west  into  a 
branch  of  Peach  Tree  creek,  and  on  this 
there  is  a  mill.  Still  beyond  the  ravine  to 
the  south  rises  the  ridge  higher  and  entirely 
cleared,  and  on  its  top  there  is  a  road  run- 
ning by  the  Buckhead  and  Atlanta  road 
westwardly  by  the  mill  to  the  river.  Along 
this  road  and  behind  fences  on  the  crest 
were  stationed  the  advance  of  our  skirmish- 
ers, overlooking  a  field  about  a  third  of  a 
mile  to  the  south,  and  covering  our  division 
in  front.  The  division  was  formed  in  the 
valley  some  200  yards  from  the  creek,  front- 
ing south,  the  3d  brigade  on  the  left  joining 
the  4th  corps,  the  2d  brigade  in  the  center 
formed  with  the  33d  and  85th  Indiana  in 
front,  the  former  under  command  of  Major 
Levin  T  Miller,  and  the  latter  under  com- 
mand of  Lieut.-Col.  A.  B.  Crane,  the  19th 
Michigan  in  the  second  line,  commanded  by 
Major  Baker,  and  the  22d  Wisconsin  being  on 
the  skirmish  line  in  front.  About  3 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I  was  informed  that 
the  enemy  was  advancing  in  force  in  our 
front.  I  at  once  went  to  Gen.  Ward's  head- 
quarters and  informed  him  of  the  fact,  and 
asked  leave  to  advance  my  brigade  to  a  bet- 
ter position  in  front.  At  first  Gen.  Ward 


BATTLE  OF  PEACH  TREE  CREEK.      59 

replied  that  it  was  against  Gen.  Hooker's 
orders  and  could  not  be  done,  but  on  second 
thought  directed  me  to  advance  if  the  rebels 
made  a  charge.  On  returning  I  informed 
Col.  Harrison,  commanding  the  1st  brigade, 
of  the  facts,  and  went  to  the  front  and  ascer- 
tained that  the  enemy  were  advancing  and 
at  once  put  the  brigade  in  motion,  the  33d 
Indiana  on  the  right,  the  85th  Indiana  on 
the  left  and  the  19th  Michigan  in  rear  of 
brigade.  In  advancing  we  met  the  skir- 
mishers —  22d  Wisconsin  —  being  driven  in. 
Having  reached  the  crest  of  the  first  ridge 
the  line  halted,  as  directed  before  the  ad- 
vance, but  seeing  the  position  was  eligible,  I 
ordered  an  advance  of  the  33d  Indiana  to 
the  ravine,  which  was  joined  by  the  85th 
Indiana  and  soon  followed  by  the  19th 
Michigan.  Upon  examining  the  field  to  our 
left  I  found  that  the  enemy  had  driven  in  the 
skirmishers  in  front  of  the  3d  brigade,  and 
were  advancing  in  large  numbers  on  my  left 
flank  and  pouring  in  a  deadly  fire.  I  at  once 
refused  my  left,  facing  two  companies  of  the 
33d  Indiana  to  the  left,  and  rode  to  Col. 
"Wood,  in  command  of  the  3d  brigade,  re- 
questing him  to  hasten  his  advance  on  the 
left  and  drive  back  the  enemy.  This  he  did, 
his  brigade  gallantly  coming  up  and  rescuing 


60  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

my  left.  On  the  right  the  1st  brigade,  under 
Col.  Harrison,  immediately  followed  my  ad- 
vance, and,  moving  somewhat  beyond  it, 
poured  a  galling  fire  into  the  enemy  across 
my  front.  The  whole  line  halted  for  a  short 
time  in  the  ravine.  Here  the  22d  Wisconsin 
rallied,  and  from  this  place  the  brigade 
poured  into  the  enemy,  who  charged  in  large 
numbers  down  the  slope.  Soon,  the  enemy 
being  checked,  the  whole  line,  with  the 
wildest  ardor,  rushed  forward  to  the  top  of 
the  hill,  capturing  about  200  prisoners  and 
slaughtering  the  enemy  terribly,  so  short  was 
the  range.  The  enemy  fled,  but  rallied,  and 
three  times  renewed  the  attack  before  night. 
The  battle  was  thus  continued  for  four  hours. 
On  reaching  .the  crest  of  the  hill  a  portion  of 
the  brigade  rushed  beyond  the  road  and  at 
once  took  position,  and  a  portion  in  the  rear, 
so  that  at  once  two  lines  were  formed  and 
almost  instantly  fortified  by  rails.  The  bri- 
gade captured  125  prisoners  and  arms.  Here 
let  me  testify  to  the  gallant  conduct  of  the 
two  brigades  on  my  right  and  left,  to  their 
promptness  and  unshaken  firmness  under  the 
heaviest  assaults.  The  prisoners  gave  the 
information  that  the  enemy  in  our  front  was 
Loring's  division  of  Stewart's  corps.  Their 
dead  numbered  there  alone  120  men,  and 


BATTLE  OF  PEACH  TREE  CREEK.      61 

their  wounded  added  would  swell  their  loss 
to  500.  Our  men  were  engaged  the  entire 
night  in  carrying  off  the  rebel  wounded,  and 
the  forenoon  of  the  next  day  was  spent  by  a 
large  detail  in  burying  the  dead.  My  bri- 
gade numbered  in  the  battle  1,263  muskets 
and  52  officers.  To  all  officers  and  men  are 
due  the  honors  and  gratitude  earned  by 
service,  valor  and  enthusiastic  devotion  to 
principle,  and  theirs  are  the  laurels  of  a  vic- 
tory snatched  from  the  trembling  balance  of 
battle  which  wavered  on  either  hand  of  our 
division.  The  commanders  of  regiments  by 
their  example  led  their  men  to  a  result  which 
could  not  otherwise  have  been  achieved. 
Major  Baker,  commanding  the  19th  Michi- 
gan, was  severely  wounded,  and  the  com- 
mand devolved  upon  Capt.  Anderson. 

My  staff,  Capt.  A.  G.  Kellam,  inspector, 
Lieut.  F.  G.  Crawford,  A.  A.  A.  G.,  Lieut. 
C.  A.  Booth,  provost  marshal,  and  Lieut.  H. 
C.  Johnson,  topographical  engineer,  were 
actively  and  boldly  doing  their  duty  through- 
out the  day.  Lieut.  Crawford,  in  a  signal 
manner,  aided  Col.  Crane  in  managing  the 
85th  Indiana,  and  Capt.  Kellam  in  every  part 
of  the  field,  by  his  activity  and  daring,  as- 
sisted in  accomplishing  our  success.  Lieut. 
Piney  McKnight,  commanding  pioneers,  ren- 


62  THE   OKLAHOMA    SCOUT. 

dered  valuable  service  in  constructing  bridges 
used  by  other  portions  of  the  army.  The 
loss  in  the  brigade  in  this  battle  is  7  officers 
and  33  men  killed,  169  men  wounded  and  7 
missing.  The  total  loss  since  the  28th  of 
June  up  to  the  28th  of  July  in  killed,  wounded 
and  missing  is  as  follows :  One  officer  and 
34  men  killed,  8  officers  and  188  men 
wounded  and  7  missing ;  total  238.  On  the 
21st  day  of  July  the  brigade  remained  in 
camp  on  the  battle-field,  skirmishing  with 
the  enemy  in  front,  who  at  night  evacuated 
his  position  and  withdrew  to  Atlanta.  On 
the  22d  the  brigade  advanced  to  a  position 
two  miles  north  of  Atlanta  and  within  range 
of  the  artillery  of  the  enemy,  and  went  into 
camp  a  short  distance  to  the  right  of  the 
Buckhead  road,  upon  the  left  of  the  4th  and 
20th  corps.  Fortifications  were  at  once 
made  and  skirmishers  being  advanced  half  a 
mile  to  the  front.  On  the  23d  the  brigade 
remained  in  the  same  camp.  On  the  24th 
remained  in  same  place.  This  day  Capt. 
George  L.  Scott,  company  I,  33d  Indiana, 
was  killed  on  picket  line  while  on  duty  as  a 
brigade  officer  of  the  day.  He  was  a  brave, 
active,  honorable  and  most  faithful  officer. 
On  the  25th,  26th,  27th  and  28th  of  July  the 
brigade  remained  in  the  same  camp,  skirm- 


BATTLE  OE  PEACH  TBEE  CREEK.      63 

ishing  in  front,  building  a  new  line  of  works, 
and  resting  under  fire  of  the  enemy's  artil- 
lery in  Atlanta,  posted  in  heavy  and  formid- 
able works  in  plain  view,  the  enemy  thus 
holding  to  this  day  with  dogged  tenacity  to 
this,  to  him,  precious  but  untenable  position. 
I  am,  very  respectfully, 

JOHN  COBITRN, 
Col,  33d  Ind.,  Commanding  Brigade. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

SURRENDER   OF   ATLANTA. 

HDQKS.  2o  BRIG.,  SD  Div.,  20m  A.  C. 
CAMP  m  FRONT  OF  ATLANTA,  GA.,  June  28, 1864. 

CAPT.  JOHN  SPEED,  A.  A.  G.,  3d  Div.,  20th 
A.C.: 

Captain, — I  have  the  honor  to  make  the 
following  report  of  the  operations  of  the  2d 
brigade,  3d  division,  20th  army  corps,  for  the 
period  from  the  27th  day  of  July  to  the  12th 
day  of  September,  1864,  inclusive:  On  the 
27th  day  of  July,  1864,  the  brigade,  being 
north  of  Atlanta  was  encamped  in  reserve 
in  rear  of  the  2d  division  of  the  20th  corps, 
and  remained  there  during  the  day.  On  the 
28th  the  brigade  was  ordered  to  move  to 
the  right  and  reinforce  the  15th  corps,  and 
marched  at  3  p.  m.,  but  before  arriving  at 
the  battle-field  was  ordered  back,  the  enemy 
being  repulsed.  The  33d  Indiana  remained 
in  camp  under  orders  as  a  reserve  to  the  2d 
division.  On  the  29th  of  July  the  brigade 
with  the  division  moved  to  the  extreme  right 
of  the  army,  and  encamped  on  the  right  of 
the  division  in  a  position  refused  to  the  right 
of  the  Sand  Town  road,  about  six  miles  west 
64 


SURRENDER  OF  ATLANTA.  65 

of  Atlanta,  building  works.  On  the  20th 
the  brigade  with  the  division  moved  farther 
to  the  right  half  a  mile,  taking  position  on 
the  Sand  Town  road  in  the  center  of  the 
division  in  two  lines,  making  earthworks. 
July  31st  remained  in  the  same  camp,  Davis' 
division  of  the  14th  army  corps,  making  a 
reconnaissance  in  front  to  Utoy  creek.  Au- 
gust 1st  remained  in  the  same  camp.  August 
2d  the  brigade  moved  with  the  division  to 
the  left  about  five  miles,  and  near  the  Chat- 
tanooga railroad.  August  3d  the  brigade 
moved  into  the  works  occupied  by  a  portion 
of  Baird's  division  of  the  14th  corps,  on  the 
Turner's  Ferry  road,  and  in  front  of  Atlanta. 
New  works  were  laid  out  and  commenced  at 
once,  200  yards  in  front.  The  work  was  con- 
tinued on  the  3d  and  4th,  and  on  the  5th  the 
new  line  was  occupied.  August  6th,  7th  and 
8th  remained  in  the  same  camp.  August 
9th  a  new  line  of  works  about  300  yards  in 
front  was  laid  out  and  the  labor  begun.  The 
work  was  continued  on  the  10th  and  llth  of 
August,  as  before.  On  the  latter  day  the 
brigade  moved  into  the  new  line  of  works. 
The  brigade  continued  in  this  position  up  to 
the  24th  day  of  August,  strengthening  the 
works  and  lying  in  close  proximity  to  the 
enemy  in  front,  during  most  of  the  time 


66  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

keeping  up  a  constant  skirmish  fire.  During 
a  few  days  of  the  latter  part  of  the  time  the 
fire  ceased  by  mutual  act  of  both  parties. 
On  the  25th  of  August  the  33d  Indiana  was 
ordered  to  march  to  Turner's  Ferry,  on  the 
Chattahoochee  river,  to  assist  in  the  construc- 
tion of  fortifications  for  a  new  camp.  The 
regiment  marched  in  the  morning  at  6  o'clock, 
and  arrived  at  the  ferry  at  noon,  and  at 
once  commenced  the  construction  of  works. 
The  brigade  moved  quietly  with  the  3d  bri- 
gade of  this  division  at  8  o'clock  p.  m.  of  this 
day  toward  Turner's  Ferry.  The  pickets 
were  not  withdrawn  until  2  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  which  was  done  without  observance 
on  the  part  of  the  enemy.  The  brigade  ar- 
rived at  the  river  about  2  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th,  and  encamped  in  single 
line  on  the  south  side  of  the  road,  near  the 
river  —  the  right  resting  on  the  river  — 
strengthening  the  works  begun  by  the  33d 
Indiana.  These  works  are  in  a  semi-circular 
shape  and  on  a  ridge  near  the  river.  A  pon- 
toon was  laid  out  at  the  ferry  in  our  rear. 
At  10  o'clock  a.  m.  of  August  27th  the  enemy 
attacked  us  in  front  with  artillery  and  mus- 
ketry, but  were  soon  repulsed.  It  was  sup- 
posed to  be  a  reconnaissance  by  a  brigade  of 
infantry  with  a  section  of  artillery.  Lieut. 


SURRENDER   OF  ATLANTA.  67 

Slauter,  of  the  33d  Indiana,  was  severely 
wounded.  In  the  afternoon  the  enemy  with- 
drew, leaving  their  killed  and  wounded. 

On  the  28th,  29th,  30th  and  31st  of 
August  and  1st  of  September  the  brigade 
remained  in  camp,  strengthening  the  works 
and  repairing  the  roads  beyond  the  river 
running  from  the  railroad  bridge  to  Sand 
Town.  On  the  28th  of  August  Major  Hig- 
gins,  of  the  79th  Ohio,  made  a  reconnais- 
sance in  front  with  300  men  and  found 
the  enemy  intrenched  at  a  distance  of 
three  miles.  After  a  short  skirmish  he 
returned.  A  portion  of  my  brigade  was 
with  him.  On  the  2d  day  of  September, 
at  6  a.  m.,  under  orders  from  Brig.-Gen. 
Ward,  I  marched  on  a  reconnaissance  from 
Turner's  Ferry  to  find  the  position  of  the 
enemy.  Cavalry  was  found  to  be  in  the 
city;  and  we  advanced  cautiously.  I  was 
met  in  the  suburbs  by  Mr.  Calhoun,  the 
mayor,  with  a  committee  of  citizens  bearing 
a  flag  of  truce.  He  surrendered  the  city 
to  me>  saying  he  only  asked  protection  for 
citizens  and  property.  I  asked  him  if  the 
rebel  cavalry  were  in  the  town.  He  replied 
that  Ferguson's  brigade  was  there  but  was 
on  the  point  of  leaving.  I  replied  that  my 
force  was  then  moving  into  the  city  and  that 


68  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

unless  that  force  retired  there  would  be  a 
fight  in  which  neither  person  nor  property 
would  be  safe,  and  that  if  necessary  I  would 
burn  the  houses  of  citizens  to  dislodge  the 
enemy,  that  I  did  not  otherwise  intend  to 
injure  the  person  or  property  of  citizens 
unless  used  against  us.  I  ordered  my  skir- 
mishers to  advance,  and  they  moved  through 
the  city,  the  cavalry  rapidly  evacuating  the 
place.  I  at  once  sent  dispatches  to  Brig-.- 
Gen.  Ward,  at  Turner's  Ferry,  and  to 
Maj.-Gen.  Slocum,  at  the  railroad  bridge, 
of  the  occupation  of  the  city  by  my  com- 
mand. Gen.  Slocum  came  at  once  to  the 
city.  Immediately  preceding  him  came  a 
portion  of  the  20th  army  corps.  Gen.  Ward 
directed  a  portion  of  my  brigade  to  move  up 
from  Turner's  Ferry  under  command  of 
Lieut.-Col.  Bloodgood,  of  the  22d  Wis- 
consin, which  reached  Atlanta  about  sun- 
set, and  the  remainder  under  Major  Miller 
the  next  morning.  Soon  after  Gen.  Slo- 
cum arrived  he  directed  me  to  move  my 
command  and  occupy  the  works  of  the 
enemy  on  the  south  side  of  the  city  to  the 
right  of  the  Augusta  railroad.  This  was 
done  and  Gen.  Knife's  brigade  was  posted 
on  the  left  of  the  road  in  single  line,  de- 
ployed at  intervals  of  three  paces.  Here 


SURRENDER   OF   ATLANTA.  69 

tfhe  brigade  remained  in  camp  until  this  date. 
Some  200  small  arms  were  found  in  the  crty 
hall  and  about  16  pieces  of  artillery  aban- 
doned in  the  works  and  burnt  with  a  train  of 
cars.  The  ammunition  abandoned  had  been 
fired  in  the  night  and  continued  to  explode 
with  loud  reports  after  we  had  entered  the 
city  in  the  forts  and  among  the  ruins  of  the 
burning  shops  and  buildings  where  it  had 
been  deposited.  The  works  of  the  enemy 
were  left  almost  perfect  and  there  seemed  to 
have  been  no  attempt  at  the  destruction  of 
anything  but  the  materials  of  war.  As  we 
passed  through  the  streets  many  of  the 
citizens  ran  gladly  out  to  meet  us,  welcoming 
us  as  deliverers  from  the  despotism  of  the 
Confederacy.  Others  regarded  us  with  ap- 
prehension and  begged  to  be  spared  from 
robbery.  I  assured  them  they  would  be  safe 
from  that.  Many  of  the  buildings  were 
found  to  have  been  much  injured  by  our 
artillery,  but  such  as  are  needed  for  public 
use  can  be  taken  at  once  with  slight  repairs. 
My  command  on  the  reconnaissance  behaved 
with  remarkable  promptness  and  energy,  and 
deserved  to  be  the  first,  as  they  were,  of  our 
army  to  enter  the  city. 
I  am,  very  respectfully, 

JOHN  COBTTBN. 

Col.  fSd  IndM  Commanding  Brigade. 


70  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

As  a  member  of  the  grand  old  2d  brigade 
I  in  common  with  the  other  boys  of  the  19th 
Michigan  felt  proud  that  we  were  the  first 
to  enter  the  Gate  City  of  the  South,  and  the 
point  for  which  we  had  so  long  been  strug- 
gling. 

Not  long  after  the  occupation  of  the  city 
Gen:  Sherman  issued  an  order  directing 
all  citizens  to  leave  Atlanta  (north  or  south) 
within  twelve  days.  In  order  to  allow  the 
inhabitants  a  chance  to  leave  the  city  Gen. 
Sherman  proposed  an  armistice  of  ten 
days,  which  was  accepted  by  Gen.  Hood, 
then  encamped  near  Lovejoy's,  in  the  follow- 
ing letter : 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OP  TENNESSEE, 
OFFICE  CHIEF  OF  STAFF,  September  5,  1864. 

MAJ.-GEN.    SHEKMAN,     commanding    TJ.    S. 

forces  in  Georgia : 

General^ — Your  letter  of  yesterday's  date, 
borne  by  James  W.  Ball  and  James  K.  Chen, 
citizens  of  Atlanta,  is  received.  You  say 
therein,  "I  deem  it  to  be  to  the  best  inter- 
est of  the  United  States  that  the  citizens 
residing  in  Atlanta  should  remove,"  etc.  I 
do  not  consider  that  I  have  any  alternative 
in  the  matter.  I  therefore  accept  your5  prop- 
osition to  declare  a  truce  of  ten  days,  or 
such  time  as  may  be  necessary  to  accomplish 


SURRENDER  OP  ATLANTA.  71 

the  purpose  mentioned,  and  shall  render  all 
the  assistance  in  my  power  to  expedite  the 
transportation  of  citizens  in  this  direction. 
I  suggest  that  a  staff  officer  be  appointed  to 
superintend  the  removal  from  the  city  to 
Rough  and  Ready,  while  I  appoint  a  similar 
officer  to  control  their  removal  farther  south ; 
that  a  guard  of  a  hundred  men  be  sent  by 
either  party  as  you  propose  to  maintain 
order  at  that  place,  and  that  the  removal  be- 
gin next  Monday.  And  now,  sir,  permit  me 
to  say  that  the  unprecedented  measure  you 
propose  transcends  in  studied  and  ingenious 
cruelty  all  acts  ever  before  brought  to  my 
attention  in  the  dark  history  of  war.  In  the 
name  of  God  and  humanity  I  protest,  believ- 
ing that  you  will  find  you  are  expelling  from 
their  homes  and  firesides  the  wives  and  chil- 
dren of  a  brave  people. 

I  am,  General,  very  respectfully,  your  obe- 
dient servant,  J.  B.  HOOD. 

But  old  Uncle  Billy  is  as  good  at  writing 
as  fighting,  and  gave  Gen.  Hood  the  follow- 
ing return  shot : 

HDQRS.  MIL.  Div.  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
IN  THE  FIELD,  ATLANTA,  GA.,  September  10, 1864. 

GEN.  J.  B.  HOOD,  commanding  Army  of  the 
Tennessee,  Confederate  army : 
General, — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge 


72  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

the  receipt  of  your  letter  at  the  hands  of 
Messrs.  Ball  and  Chen,  consenting  to  the 
arrangements  I  had  proposed  to  facilitate 
the  removal  south  of  the  people  of  Atlanta 
who  prefer  to  go  in  that  direction.  I  inclose 
you  a  copy  of  my  orders,  which  I  am  satis- 
fied accomplish  my  purpose  perfectly.  You 
style  the  message  proposed  unprecedented, 
and  appeal  to  the  dark  history  of  war  for  a 
parallel  as  an  act  of  studied  and  ingenious 
cruelty.  It  is  not  unprecedented,  for  Gen. 
Johnston  himself  very  wisely  and  properly 
removed  the  families  all  the  way  from  Dai- 
ton,  and  I  see  no  reason  why  Atlanta  should 
be  excepted.  Nor  is  it  necessary  to  appeal 
to  the  dark  history  of  war,  when  recent  and 
modern  examples  are  so  handy.  You  your- 
self burned  dwelling  houses  along  your  para- 
pet, and  I  have  seen  to-day  fifty  houses  that 
you  have  rendered  uninhabitable  because 
they  stood  in  the  way  of  your  forts  and  men. 
You  defended  Atlanta  on  a  line  so  close  to 
the  town  that  every  cannon  shot  and  many 
musket  shots  from  our  line  of  intrenchments 
that  overshot  their  mark  went  into  the  habi- 
tations of  women  and  children.  Gen.  Hardee 
did  the  same  thing  at  Jonesboro,  and  Gen. 
Johnston  did  the  same  last  summer  at  Jack- 
son, Mississippi.  I  have  not  accused  you  of 


SURRENDER   OF  ATLANTA.  73 

heartless  cruelty,  but  merely  instanced  those 
cases  of  very  recent  occurrence,  and  could  go 
on  and  enumerate  hundreds  of  others  and 
challenge  any  fair  man  to  judge  which  of  us 
has  the  heart  of  pity  for  the  families  of 
"  brave  people."  I  say  it  is  a  kindness  to 
these  families  of  Atlanta  to  remove  them 
now  at  once  from  scenes  that  women  and 
children  should  not  be  exposed  to,  and  the 
brave  people  should  scorn  to  commit  their 
wives  and  children  to  the  rude  barbarians 
who  thus,  as  you  say,  violate  the  laws  of 
war,  as  illustrated  in  the  dark  pages  of  its 
history. 

In  the  name  of  common  sense  I  ask  you 
not  to  appeal  to  a  just  God  in  such  a  sacri- 
legious manner.  You  who  in  the  midst  of 
peace  and  prosperity  have  plunged  a  nation 
into  civil  war  — "  dark  and  cruel  war  " —  who 
dared  and  badgered  us  to  battle,  insulted 
our  flag,  seized  our  arsenals  and  forts  that 
were  left  in  the  honorable  custody  of  a 
peaceful  ordnance  sergeant,  seized  and  made 
prisoners  of  war  the  very  garrison  sent  to 
protect  your  people  against  negroes  and  In- 
dians long  before  any  overt  act  was  com- 
mitted by  the  "to  you"  hateful  Lincoln 
government,  tried  to  force  Kentucky  and 
Missouri  into  the  rebellion  in  spite  of  them- 


74:  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

selves,  falsified  the  vote  of  Louisiana,  turned 
loose  your  privateers  to  plunder  unarmed 
ships,  expelled  Union  families  by  the  thou- 
sand, burned  their  houses  and  declared  by  act 
of  Congress  the  confiscation  of  all  debts  due 
northern  men  for  goods  had  and  received. 
Talk  thus  to  the  marines,  but  not  to  me  who 
have  seen  those  things,  and  will  this  day 
make  as  much  sacrifice  for  the  peace  and 
honor  of  the  South  as  the  best  born  south- 
erners among  you.  If  we  must  be  enemies 
let  us  be  men,  and  fight  it  out  as  we  propose 
to-day  and  not  deal  in  such  hypocritical  ap- 
peals to  God  and  humanity.  God  will  judge 
me  in  good  time,  and  he  will  pronounce 
whether  it  will  be  more  humane  to  fight  with 
a  town  full  of  women  and  families  of  a 
"brave  people"  at  our  backs  or  to  remove 
them  in  time  to  places  of  safety  among  their 
own  friends  and  people. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant,  "W.  T.  SHEEMAN, 

Major-General. 

On  September  21st,  Col.  John  Coburn's 
term  of  service  having  expired,  he  was  mus- 
tered out  and  took  leave  of  the  brigade  by 
issuing  the  following  address : 


SUBEENDEB   OF   ATLANTA.  75 

HDQRS.  SD  BRIG.,  SD  Div.,  SOra  A.  C., 

ATLANTA,  GA.,  September  20,  1864. 

Soldiers  of  the  %d  Brigade, —  My  term  of 
service  has  expired  and  I  am  about  to  be 
separated  from  you.  We  have  been  associ- 
ated as  a  brigade  almost  two  years.  "We 
have  borne  in  that  time  all  the  burdens  and 
endured  all  the  trials  and  hardships  of  war 
together.  This  especially  has  made  us 
friends,  such  friends  as  only  suffering  and 
trials  together  can  make.  In  that  time  you 
have  shared  an  eventful  part  in  the  great 
struggle  of  the  age.  In  Kentucky,  Tennes- 
see and  Georgia  you  have  nobly  illustrated 
the  history  of  your  own  states,  Indiana, 
Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  That  history  can- 
not be  written  without  a  record  of  your  calm 
patience,  disciplined  endurance  and  heroic 
daring.  The  bloody  and  desperate  battle  of 
Thompson's  Station,  and  the  successful  fights 
at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  gave  early  proof  of 
your  valor,  while  in  the  past  campaign,  at 
Resaca,  Cassville,  New  Hope  Church,  Gol- 
gotha, Gulp's  Farm,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and 
Atlanta,  you  have  in  the  front  of  the  fight 
borne  straight  onward  your  victorious  ban- 
ner. At  New  Hope  Church  the  fury  of  your 
onset  redeemed  the  day's  disaster.  At  Peach 
Tree  Creek  your  charge  rivaled  the  most 


76  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

famous  feats  of  arms  in  the  annals  of  war, 
and  at  Atlanta  your  ranks  were  the  first  to 
climb  the  works  of  the  enemy  and  take 
possession  of  that  renowned  city.  The  33d 
Indiana  at  "Wild  Cat  fought  the  first  battle 
and  gained  the  first  victory  won  by  the  army 
of  the  Cumberland,  and  the  united  brigades 
fired  the  last  shot  at  the  flying  foe  as  he  fled 
from  his  stronghold  in  Atlanta.  But  not 
alone  in  the  stormy  and  fiery  fight  have  you 
been  tried.  You  have,  by  long  marches,  by 
Herculean  labors  upon  field  works,  by  cheer- 
ful obedience,  by  watching  that  knew  no 
surprise,  and  by  toil  that  knew  no  rest  or 
weariness,  eclipsed  the  fame  of  your  daring 
in  battle,  and  placed  high  above  the  glitter 
of  victorious  armies  the  steady  light  of  your 
solid  virtues.  We  have  lived  together  as 
brethren  in  a  great  common  cause.  We 
part,  our  hearts  glowing  with  the  same 
patriotic  ardor,  and  hereafter,  when  the  war 
is  over,  we  will  have  no  prouder  memories 
than  those  associated  with  this  brigade. 
Your  comrades  in  arms  are  sleeping  beneath 
the  clods  of  the  valley  from  the  Ohio  to 
Atlanta,  and  from  Atlanta  to  Kichmond. 
Faithful,  patient  and  brave,  they  have  given 
to  their  country  and  to  God  whatever  mar- 
tyrs and  heroes  can  give.  And,  as  one  by 


SURRENDER   OF   ATLANTA.  77 

one  they  fell  out  from  your  glorious  ranks, 
they  have  added  new  testimony  to  the 
sacredness  of  your  cause.  My  friends  and 
soldiers,  farewell.  JOHN  COBURN, 

Col.  33d  2nd.  Vol.,  Commanding  Brigade. 

The  boys  hated  to  give  Col.  Coburn  up. 
He  had  been  our  brigade  commander  from 
the  time  I  enlisted.  He  was  a  thorough 
soldier,  and  a  gentleman  under  all  circum- 
stances. He  was  always  in  front  when  there 
was  any  fighting  to  do.  I  remember  well 
his  riding  along  the  line  of  battle  amid  a 
storm  of  bullets,  and  the  boys  cheered  him 
to  the  echo.  He  was  always  careful  not  to 
rush  his  men  into  unnecessary  danger,  so  that 
when  he  told  us  to  charge  we  knew  there 
was  something  important  to  accomplish,  and 
did  our  level  best.  I  believe  Col.  Coburn  is 
remembered  affectionately  by  every  member 
of  his  command  The  last  I  heard  of  him 
he  still  survived,  and  was  living  in  Indiana. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MAECH   TO   THE    SEA. 

This  account  of  my  war  experience  is 
merely  introductory  to  the  main  design  of 
my  book,  and  I  consequently  abbreviate  it  as 
much  as  possible.  Sherman's  march  to  the 
sea  has  been  written  of  by  hundreds,  and  it 
is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  go  into  details 
of  what  I  saw,  heard  and  did  during  that 
memorable  march.  It  was,  however,  a 
remarkable  experience  for  every  man  who 
took  part  in  it.  I  was  still  but  a  boy,  being 
only  eighteen  years  old,  and  I  entered  into 
all  the  excitements  of  that  grand  adventure 
with  all  the  zest  of  boyhood,  although  I  had 
all  the  sterner  duties  of  the  soldier  to  attend 
to  in  the  meanwhile.  I  could  write  a  volume 
concerning  the  experiences  of  that  campaign, 
but  this,  as  I  said,  is  not  my  design  now,  and 
I  will  content  myself  with  a  brief  outline  of 
what  came  under  my  observation. 

We  broke  camp  on  the  14th  of  November, 

1864,   and    leaving  the    fire-swept  city  of 

Atlanta  in  our  rear  we  turned  our  faces 

toward  the  Atlantic.    I  was  detailed_early 

78 


MARCH  TO  THE   SEA.  79 

on  the  march  to  act  with  the  foraging  party 
for  our  company.  I  got  hold  of  a  mule,  and 
in  a  very  short  time  I  was  recognized  as  an 
expert  "bummer,"  and  our  mess  fared  as 
well  as  any  in  the  army.  The  route  of  our 
division  lay  through  Stone  Mountain,  Social 
Circle,  Kutledge  and  Madison,  and  from 
thence  on  to  Milledgeville,  which  place  we 
reached  on  the  21st.  We  laid  here  two  days. 
The  marching  was  tedious,  but  a  general 
good  humor  prevailed  among  the  soldiers, 
and  none  of  us  doubted  that  we  would  get 
through  all  right.  Nothing  of  stirring  inter- 
est occurred  until  we  reached  Savannah. 
We  camped  in  the  pine  forests  near  Savan- 
nah for  some  time,  living  on  rice  and  the 
bluest  of  beef.  The  boys  were  ragged  and 
weather  beaten,  but  in  good  spirits.  We  felt 
that  the  war  was  about  coming  to  a  close. 
After  capturing  Savannah,  on  New  Year's 
night,  1865,  we  crossed  the  Savannah  river 
and  camped  on  Gen.  Hardee's  plantation. 
After  this  events  followed  each  other  in 
rapid  succession.  The  old  Confederacy  was 
evidently  becoming  as  ragged  as  the  uni- 
forms of  some  of  our  boys.  I  witnessed  the 
burning  of  Columbia. 

I  did  not  go  to  Charleston,  being  engaged 
when  that  hotbed  of  secession  was  captured 


80  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

in  destroying  the  Augusta  railroad.  Our 
method  of  rendering  railroad  iron  useless 
was  to  place  the  bars  on  a  pile  of  ties  and  set 
fire  to  it.  When  red  hot  we  twisted  them 
around  trees  like  bracelets.  The  burning  of 
Columbia  was  an  awful  spectacle.  The  hor- 
rors of  war  as  seen  upon  the  battle-field 
strewn  thick  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead  and 
dying  we  had  in  a  certain  sense  become 
hardened  to,  but  the  sight  of  a  whole  city 
full  of  helpless  women  and  children  burned 
out  of  their  homes  on  a  winter  night,  and 
filling  the  streets  with  their  cries  of  lamen- 
tation, touched  every  heart  ( that  was  not 
dead  to  all  appeals  of  human  sympathy.  I 
was  in  the  city,  but  had  no  disposition  to  ex- 
ercise my  "  burning "  talents  that  night.  I 
did  all  I  could  to  protect  the  women  and 
children.  I  must  now  relate  my  last  experi- 
ence in  actual  battle.  The  engagement  is 
known  in  history  as  the  battle  of  Averys- 
boro.  I  was  absent  from  the  column  when 
the  fight  began  at  a  mill  getting  meal  ground 
for  the  company.  The  rebels  cut  the  dam 
and  drowned  us  out.  We  ran  to  our  horses, 
and  when  we  got  to  them  the  water  was 
three  feet  deep  where  they  were  tied  in  the 
timber.  We  mounted  and  started  back  to 
where  the  column  was.  Some  rebels  lying 


MARCH   TO   THE   SEA.  81 

in  ambuscade  on  a  little  creek  we  had  to 
cross  fired  on  us.  My  horse  was  shot  through 
the  shoulders  and  fell  on  me.  I  received  se- 
vere injuries,  from  which  I  have  not  yet  re- 
covered. I  managed  to  regain  my  feet,  fired 
a  couple  of  shots  in  the  direction  irom  which 
the  firing  had  come,  and  then  made  my  way 
to  the  creek,  and  was  lucky  enough  to  find  a 
riderless  mule,  which  I  made  haste  to  mount, 
and  with  the  mule  and  two  sacks  of  meal  I 
found  my  way  to  the  column,  which  was 
lying  behind  a  hastily-built  line  of  breast- 
works. 

The  next  place  we  struck  was  Goldsboro, 
the  rebels  having  fallen  back.  We  remained 
here  in  camp  a  long  time.  The  army  then 
moved  to  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  where  it 
remained  until  the  surrender  of  Johnston. 
At  Raleigh  we  met  our  old  company  com- 
mander, George  Shoffer,  then  promoted  to 
be  colonel  of  the  28th  Michigan  infantry. 
He  was  glad  to  see  his  old  company. 

After  the  surrender  there  seemed  to  be  a 
chance  for  us  to  go  home,  and  there  was  gen- 
eral rejoicing  throughout  the  army.  Then 
followed  the  long  and  tedious  march  to  Rich- 
mond. 

As  western  soldiers  we  felt  a  curiosity  to 
view  the  scenes  of  the  exploits  of  our  eastern 


THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

brothers,  of  which  we  had  seen  such  flaming 
accounts  in  the  papers.  The  fortifications 
about  Richmond  showed  clearly  what  a  dif- 
ficult work  the  army  of  the  Potomac  had  to 
perform  in  their  capture.  We  camped  near 
the  scene  of  Sheridan's  great  fight  at  Five 
Forks.  The  evidences  of  the  terrible  strug- 
gle which  had  been  carried  on  for  four  years 
in  Virginia  were  visible  on  every  side.  In 
many  forests  through  which  we  passed  the 
trees  were  sticking  full  of  musket  balls,  of 
cannon  shot  and  of  shell.  We  rode  over  one 
battle-field  where  it  was  said  Hancock's  corps 
had  met  the  rebels,  and  the  dead  in  large 
numbers,  both  Union  and  Confederate,  yet 
lay  unburied  on  the  ground.  The  stench  was 
horrible.  I  rode  over  the  field  in  company 
with  our  regimental  surgeon,  Dr.  Trobridge. 
We  marched  on  to  Washington  City,  where 
the  grand  military  parade  which  has  been 
too  often  described  to  need  more  than  men- 
tion took  place. 

The  review  exceeded  every  one  that  the 
army  had  previously  participated  in.  The 
moving  sea  of  humanity,  the  magnificent 
condition  of  the  troops,  and  the  glittering 
paraphernalia  of  war,  prancing  steeds  gaily 
caparisoned,  loud- swelling  music  bursting  in 
harmonious  strains  from  superb  bands,  the 


MARCH   TO   THE   SEA.  S3 

flaunting  of  battle-scarred  colors,  all  formed 
a  kaleidoscopic  picture  which  words  cannot 
paint.  The  chief  point  of  interest,  aside 
from  the  mass  of  soldiery,  was  the  review- 
ing officers,  among  whom  stood  President 
Johnson,  the  invincible  Grant,  the  bold  Sher- 
man, the  daring  Logan  and  other  officers 
both  state  and  military,  of  no  little  distinc- 
tion. This  was  the  crowning  review  of  Gen. 
Sherman's  army. 

After  the  review  we  camped  back  of  Fort 
Lincoln  and  drew  new  clothing.  Camp  life 
here  was  very  pleasant.  The  time  of  our 
regiment,  the  19th  Michigan,  having  expired, 
the  original  members  were  ordered  home  to 
be  mustered  out ;  but  I,  in  company  with  63 
others,  who  were  recruited  later,  were  trans- 
ferred for  service  in  the  10th  regiment  of 
veteran  volunteer  infantry.  We  understood 
from  the  papers  that  we  were  to  go  to  Mex- 
ico to  fight  Maximilian.  This  turn  of  af- 
fairs had  a  tendency  to  make  us  homesick. 
The  transfer  was  made.  The  10th  regiment 
was  ordered  to  Louisville,  and  took  the  cars 
for  Parkersburg  and  there  embarked  on 
boats  and  changed  at  Buffer's  Island  (the 
point  at  which  Morgan  crossed  'in  begin- 
ning his  raid)  to  larger  boats,  which  landed 
us  in  Louisville.  We  were  pleasantly 


84:  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

situated  in  Louisville,  and  spent  our 
4th  of  July  there.  I  was  discharged  from 
military  service  the  1st  day  of  August,  1865. 
When  we  got  to  Jackson,  Mich.,  I  saw  there 
would  be  some  days'  delay  over  our  disband- 
ment,  and  remembering  the  ten  days'  fur- 
lough my  recruiting  officer  had  promised, 
and  which  I  did  not  get,  I  went  to  our  old 
colonel  and  told  him  I  thought  it  was  a 
good  time  to  work  it  in,  as  my  parents  only 
lived  a  short  distance  away. 

I  went  home  that  very  day,  and  found 
everything  pretty  much  as  I  had  left  it.  Of 
course  father  and  mother  and  all  were  glad 
to  -see  me,  and  to  be  once  more  at  the  old 
homestead  was  a  pleasure  as  great  as  any  I 
have  ever  felt.  I  also  found  brother  John 
at  home,  he  having  previously  been  mustered 
out.  I  returned  to  Jackson  and  got  my  dis- 
charge. The  state  gave  us  a  public  recep- 
tion which  was  very  grand  and  imposing. 
Every  one  seemed  desirous  to  do  honor  to 
the  soldiers  who  had  endured  so  much  to 
maintain  the  Union.  Thus  closed  my  career 
as  a  soldier  for  Uncle  Sam.  I  have  served 
the  old  gentleman  for  many  years  since,  but 
in  a  different  capacity,  as  you  will  learn  from 
the  further  pages  of  this  book, 


CHAPTEE  X. 

ANECDOTES   OF   THE  WAR. 

Just  after  the  battle  of  Dallas  Woods,  as 
"Walter  C.,  of  company  K,  was  upon  the 
skirmish  line,  he  asked  a  rebel  picket  who 
was  at  some  distance  from  him,  "  What  gun 
is  that  you  are  shooting  with? " 

"  Enfield  rifle,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Where  did  you  get  it  ? " 

"  At  Chickamauga,"  he  replied,  and  then 
asked,  "  What  gun  is  that  you  are  shooting 
with?" 

"  The  Mississippi  rifle,"  replied  Walter. 

"  Where  did  you  get  it  ? "  continued 
Johnnie. 

"  At  Resaca,"  was  the  reply. 

Thus  closed  the  controversy,  and  they 
again  resumed  hostilities  by  firing  at  each 
other.  The  anecdote  will  be  better  appre- 
ciated when  it, is  known  that  the  rebels  were 
defeated  at  Dallas  Woods,  and  Federals  at 
Chickamauga, 

When  the  Chattahoochee  river  divided  the 
Federal  army  from  the  Confederates  hostili- 
ties apparently  had  closed,  and  the  "  boys"  of 
85 


86  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

both  armies  who  were  on  the  skirmish  line 
became  quite  friendly.  Frequently  some  of 
the  Federals  would  swim  the  river,  and 
agreeably  to  the  custom  exchange  coffee, 
sugar,  etc.,  for  tobacco.  A  Johnnie  asked  a 
Yank,  "Who  commands  the  army  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river  ? " 

"  Gen.  Sherman,"  the  Yank  replied. 

"  He  commands  our  army  too,"  continued 
the  Johnnie.  "Every  time  he  commands 
his  army  forward  we  fall  back." 

During  the  terrible  conflict  at  Peach  Tree 
creek  both  armies  became  so  despente  and 
determined  that  the  men  were  sometimes 
engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand  conflict.  This 
was  the  case  in  that  part  of  the  line  filled  by 
the  2d  brigade,  3d  division,  20th  army  corps. 

Sherman's  army  will  not  soon  forget  what 
occurred  on  the  20th,  22d  and  28th  days  of 
July,  1864,  near  Atlanta — the  fierceness  and 
determination  with  which  Hood  fought  to 
hold  the  city.  But  there  is  one  incident  con- 
nected with  these  engagements  which  has 
perhaps  been  forgotten,  but  is  worth  preser- 
vation that  future  generations  may  know  the 
nature  of  Gen.  Hood,  his  fondness  for  fighting, 
etc.  He  was  also  sanguine,  and  it  is  said  he  was 
unusually  so  at  Peach  Tree  creek.  His  defeat 
made  him  desperate,  and  upon  his  return  to 


ANECDOTES   OF   THE   WAR.  87 

the  city  of  Atlanta  he  summoned  a  number 
of  his  officers  together  for  counsel.  A  fair 
supply  of  whisky  was  at  hand,  and  after  they 
had  partaken  of  it  freely  the  General  became 
quite  hilarious,  forgetting  to  some  extent, 
doubtless,  the  disaster  of  his  army  on  the 
20th.  He  remarked,  "  Well,  comrades,  we 
did  excellent  fighting  in  the  center  of  Sher- 
man's army ;  let  us  try  again  on  the  left." 
Orders  were  at  once  issued  to  this  effect,  and 
on  the  22d  another  fight  was  had,  more  dis- 
astrous, if  possible,  than  the  first.  Again  a 
counsel  was  had,  and  after  he  had  come 
under  the  influence  of  whisky  he  remarked, 
"  We  held  our  own  excellently  on  the  22d ; 
we  must  try  Sherman  on  the  right  on  the 
28th."  And  so  he  did,  but  the  result !  The 
plans  and  arrangements  of  midnight  revels 
culminated  in  a  greater  sacrifice  of  life  to  the 
rebel  army  than  any  three  contested  battles 
during  the  Atlanta  campaign. 

After  the  occupation  of  Atlanta  an  order 
was  promulgated  directing  all  citizens  to 
leave  Atlanta  (north  or  south)  in  twelve 
days.  On  the  day  it  was  issued  a  gentle- 
man entered  Sherman's  office  and  inquired 
for  Gen.  Sherman.  The  latter  answered 
very  promptly,  "I  am  General  Sherman." 
The  colloquy  was  as  follows : 


88  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

Citizen. — "  General,  I  am  a  northern  man 
from  the  state  of  Connecticut ;  I  have  been 
living  at  Atlanta  nearly  seven  years ;  have 
accumulated  property  here,  and  as  I  see 
you  have  ordered  all  citizens  to  leave  within 
twelve  days  I  came  to  see  if  you  would  not 
make  an  exception  in  my  case.  I  fear,  if  I 
leave  my  property  will  be  destroyed." 

Gen.  Sherman.  —  "  What  kind  of  property 
do  you  own  ? " 

C  —  "I  own  a  block  of  stores,  three  build- 
ings, a  plantation  two  miles  out  of  town, 
and  a  foundry." 

S. —  "  Foundry,  eh !  What  have  you  been 
doing  with  your  foundry  ? " 

C.  —  "  Have  been  making  castings." 

S.  —  "What  kind  of  castings  ?  Shot,  shell, 
and  all  that  kind  of  thing  ? " 

C.  —  "Yes,  I've  made  some  shot  and 
shell." 

S.  — "  You  have  been  making  shot  and 
shell  to  destroy  your  country,  have  you  ?  and 
you  still  claim  favor  on  account  of  being  a 
northern  man !  Yes,  sir ;  I  will  make  an  ex- 
ception in  your  case.  You  shall  go  south  to- 
morrow morning  at  sunrise.  Adjutant,  see 
that  this  order  is  carried  out.  Orderly,  show 
this  man  to  the  door." 

C.  —  "  But,  General,  can't  I  go  north  ? " 


ANECDOTES   OF   THE   WAR.  89 

S.  —  "No,  sir;  too  many  of  your  class 
there  already,  sir." 

The  following  letter  written  by  Sherman 
to  a  southern  minister  is  characteristic  of  its 
author,  and  is  an  interesting  sketch  of  one 
of  the  many  pleasing  episodes  of  the  war. 
How  very  agreeable  it  must  have  been  to  a 
rebel  minister,  one  clothed  with  the  author- 
ity of  the  church  and  defending  the  most 
unholy  cause!  Imagine  you  see  him  read 
the  missive. 

ATLANTA,  GA.,  September  16,  1864. 
REV. ,  Confederate  army : 

Dear  Sir,  —  Your  letter  of  September  14 
is  received.  I  approach  a  question  involving 
a  title  to  a  horse  with  deference  for  the  laws 
of  war.  That  mysterious  code,  of  which  we 
talk  so  much  but  know  so  little,  is  remark- 
ably silent  on  the  "  horse."  He  is  a  beast  so 
tempting  to  the  soldier  —  to  him  of  the  wild 
cavalry,  the  fancy  artillery  or  the  patient  in- 
fantry—  that  I  find  more  difficulty  in  recov- 
ering a  worthless,  spavined  beast  than  in  pay- 
ing a  million  of  greenbacks  ;  so  that  I  fear  1 
must  reduce  your  claim  to  one  of  finance, 
and  refer  you  to  the  great  board  of  claims  in 
Washington,  that  may  reach  your  case  by 
the  time  your  grandchild  becomes  a  great- 
grandfather. Privately  I  think  it  was  a 


90  THE   OKLAHOMA   SOOTTT. 

shabby  thing  in  that  scamp  of  the  31st  Mis- 
souri who  took  your  horse,  and  his  colonel 
or  brigadier  should  have  restored  him.  But 
I  cannot  undertake  to  make  good  the  sins  of 
omission  of  my  own  colonels  and  brigadiers, 
much  less  those  of  a  former  generation. 
When  this  cruel  war  is  over  and  peace  once 
more  gives  you  a  parish,  I  will  promise,  if 
near  you,  to  procure  out  of  Uncle  Sam's 
corrals  a  beast  that  will  replace  the  one 
taken  from  you  so  wrongfully,  but  now  it  is 
impossible.  "We  have  a  big  journey  before 
us,  and  need  all  we  have  and  I  fear  more, 
too.  So  look  out  when  the  Yanks  are  about, 
and  hide  your  beasts,  for  my  experience  is 
that  old  soldiers  are  very  careless  in  a  search 
for  a  title.  I  know  that  Gen.  Hardee  will 
confirm  this,  my  advice.  With  great  respect, 
Yours  truly,  W.  T.  SHERMAN. 

Maj.-Gen.  Comdg. 

After  the  march  to  the  sea  had  been  com- 
menced there  was  great  rejoicing  in  the 
higher  circles  of  the  Confederacy,  and  the 
southern  papers  contained  the  following 
proclamations  to  the  citizens  of  the  state  of 
Georgia : 

To  the  people  of  Georgia:  Arise  for  the 
defense  of  your  native  soil.  Rally  around 
you  patriotic  governor  and  gallant  soldiers. 


ANECDOTES   OF  THE  WAR.  91 

Obstruct  and  destroy  all  the  roads  in  Sher- 
man's front,  flank  and  rear,  and  his  army 
will  soon  starve  in  your  midst.  Be  confi- 
dent, be  resolute !  Trust  in  an  overruling 
providence,  and  success  will  soon  crown  your 
efforts.  I  hasten  to  join  you  in  the  defense 
of  your  homes  and  firesides. 

G.  T.  BEAUBEGAED. 
RICHMOND,  November  18,  1864. 
To  the  people  of  Georgia :  You  have  now 
the  best  opportunity  ever  presented  to  de- 
stroy the  enemy.  Put  everything  at  the 
disposal  of  our  generals,  remove  all  provis- 
ions from  the  path  of  the  invader,  and  put 
all  obstructions  in  his  path.  Every  citizen 
with  his  gun  and  every  negro  with  his  spade 
and  ax  can  do  the  work  of  a  soldier.  You 
can  destroy  the  enemy  by  retarding  his 
march.  Georgians,  be  firm,  act  promptly, 
and  fear  not.  I  most  cordially  approve  the 
above.  JAMES  A.  SEDDEN, 

Secretary  of  War. 

On  the  night  of  the  llth  of  November  the 
torch  was  applied  to  some  of  the  houses  in 
the  city  of  Atlanta,  but  not  until  the  15th 
was  the  order  given  for  the  destruction  of 
the  public  buildings,  foundries,  railroad  build- 
ings and  barracks.  Eager  watchers  in  camp 
began  to  think  that  the  last  days  of  the  Gate 


^9  THE   OKLAHOMA   SOOUT. 

City  had  come.  Although  the  order  was 
confined  strictly  to  the  public  buildings, 
yet  some  of  the  men  would  slyly  set  fire  to 
other  buildings. 

The  troops  left  Madison  on  the  morning  of 
the  20th  and  moved  south  toward  Mill- 
edgeville,  the  capital  of  Georgia,  via  Eaton- 
town.  Dustin's  brigade  was  deployed  as 
guard  —  four  men  to  the  wagon  —  along  the 
wagon  train.  The  roads  were  in  a  bad  con- 
dition and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that 
the  wagons  could  be  moved  forward.  We 
arrived  at  Milledgeville  on  the  morning  of 
the  23d,  after  having  marched  all  night. 
Gov.  Brown,  after  vainly  urging  the  legis- 
lators to  seize  muskets  and  defend  their 
homes,  fled  to  Macon  in  time  to  escape  cap- 
ture. While  in  camp  here  there  were  a 
great  many  who  were  preparing  for  another 
advance,  while  there  were  soldiers  who  had 
nothing  but  sightseeing  to  employ  them,  and 
they  pursued  their  investigations  to  the 
uttermost  recesses  of  the  town.  The  state 
library,  consisting  of  several  thousand  vol- 
umes, was  ransacked  by  the  soldiers  of  literary 
tastes  and  cartloads  of  books  were  taken 
away ;  also,  the  governor's  room,  the  offices 
of  secretary  of  state,  treasurer,  attorney- 
general  and  other  functionaries  were  rum- 


ANECDOTES   OF  THE   WAK.  93 

maged.  Some  of  the  boys,  in  their  investi- 
gation of  the  rooms  of  the  state  house,  found 
in  one  of  them  a  dezen  reams  or  more  of 
printed  notes  of  all  denominations,  running 
all  the  way  from  25  cents  to  $20,  none  of 
them  signed.  Large  quantities  of  this  money 
afterward  circulated  in  the  lower  strata  of 
Georgia  society  for  subsistence. 

"While  here  a  number  of  officers  of  the 
20th  corps  as  loyal  citizens  of  Georgia,  met 
in  the  state  house  to  reconstruct  said  state. 
The  meeting  was  called  to  order  and  Col. 
Eobinson,  of  the  82d  Ohio,  was  called  to 
the  chair.  The  meeting  appointed  a  com- 
mittee on  Federal  relations,  and  while  they 
were  preparing  resolutions  suitable  for  the 
occasion  some  spicy  debates  took  place 
between  the  members  present  in  regard  to 
the  best  way  the  citizens  of  Georgia  should 
in  future  conduct  themselves.  The  com- 
mittee reported  the  following  resolutions : 
1.  That  the  ordinance  of  secession  was  highly 
indiscreet  and  injudicious,  and  ought  to  be 
discouraged.  2.  That  the  aforesaid  ordin- 
ance is  a  "  damn  farce,"  and  always  was.  3. 
That  aforesaid  ordinance  ought  to  be  repealed 
and  abrogated.  4.  That  Sherman's  column 
will  play  the  devil  with  the  ordinance  and 
with  the  state  itself. 


94:  THE  OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

Gen.  Lee  having  surrendered  his  army 
made  further  resistance  on  the  part  of  Joe 
Johnston  useless;  and  without  further  resist- 
ance of  importance,  terms  of  surrender  were 
agreed  upon  between  him  and  Gen.  Sher- 
man. Loud  shouts  were  sent  heavenward 
almost  simultaneously  when  the  terms  of 
peace  were  finally  consummated  and  pro- 
mulgated to  the  army.  But  amid  all  this 
joy  of  a  nation's  overflowing  heart  came  the 
terrible  news  of  the  assassination  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln.  The  loss  of  this  great  and 
good  man  was  keenly  felt  by  Sherman's 
army,  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  some 
of  the  men  could  be  held  in  subjection  — 
kept  from  destroying  the  city.  Fortunately 
the  excitement  subsided  without  any  action 
of  that  kind. 

May  1st,  1865,  Sherman's  army,  after  hav- 
ing been  sufficiently  supplied  with  clothing, 
took  up  its  march  homeward  bound.  The 
rebellion  having  been  crushed  and  the  rebel 
troops  sent  to  their  homes,  a  very  stringent 
order  was  issued  prohibiting  the  "boys" 
from  foraging  off  the  country.  Before  com- 
mencing the  march  Sherman  issued  an  order 
to  the  troops  to  the  effect  that  the  marching 
should  not  exceed  fifteen  miles  a  day.  The 
order  was  shamefully  disregarded  by  the 


ANECDOTES  OF  THE  WAR.  95 

commanding  officers  of  the  14th  and  20th 
corps.  The  commander  of  each  corps,  wish- 
ing to  get  into  Richmond  first,  transcended 
the  authority  of  Gen.  Sherman  as  promul- 
gated to  his  army  before  the  march  began. 
Their  brief  authority  so  intoxicated  them 
that  they  became  ambitious,  vain  fools  upon 
this  march.  On  they  pushed  the  march; 
faster  and  faster  each  corps  moved  along. 
Many  a  poor  soldier,  weary  and  foot-sore,  fell 
exhausted  under  the  fierce  rays  of  a  noonday 
sun.  The  soldiers  were  treated  like  abject 
slaves,  and  like  dogs  were  left  to  lie  by  the 
roadside.  On  one  occasion  Dustin's  brigade 
marched  twenty  miles  in  less  than  half  a 
day.  The  war  over,  and  such  cruelty! 
Every  one  of  the  boys  of  Sherman's  army 
will  never  forget  the  last  days  of  that  famous 
march.  They  will  ever  regard  the  uncalled- 
for  hard  marches  on  that  occasion  as  the 
unkindest  cut  of  all  during  the  war. 

May  9th  Dustin's  brigade  went  into  camp 
near  Richmond,  Va.,  after  having  traveled 
170  miles.  May  llth  the  troops  took  up  the 
line  of  march  to  Washington  City.  While 
upon  this  march  the  troops  passed  over  the 
memorable  battle-fields  of  Chickahominy, 
the  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania  Court  House, 
Chancellorsville,  in  the  vicinity  of  Freder- 


96  THE   OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

icksburg,  crossed  Bull  Run  and  made  a  halt 
at  Alexandria,  Ya.  The  troops  remained 
here  but  a  short  time,  when  they  crossed  the 
Potomac  on  the  Long  Bridge  and  took  part 
in  the  great  review  of  Sherman's  army. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FAREWELL   ADDRESSES. 
GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  FAREWELL  ADDRESS. 

HDQRS.  MIL.  Drv.  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  May  30,  1865. 

SPECIAL  FIELD  ORDER  'No.  76 : 

The  General  announces  to  the  army  of  Ten- 
nessee and  Georgia  that  the  time  has  come  for 
us  to  part.  Our  work  is  done,  and  armed  ene- 
mies no  longer  defy  us.  Some  of  you  will  be 
detained  in  service  until  further  orders ;  and 
now  that  we  are  about  to  separate — to  mingle 
with  the  civil  world — it  becomes  a  pleasing 
duty  to  recall  to  mind  the  situation  of  national 
affairs  when  but  a  little  more  than  a  year  ago 
we  were  gathered  about  the  towering  cliffs  of 
Lookout  Mountain,  and  the  future  wrapped 
in  doubt  and  uncertainty.  Three  armies  had 
come  from  distant  fields  with  separate  histo- 
ries, yet  bound  by  one  common  cause — the 
union  of  our  country  and  the  perpetuation  of 
the  government  of  our  inheritance.  There 
is  no  need  to  recall  to  your  memories  Tun- 
nel Hill,  with  Bock  Face  Mountain,  Buzzard 
Boost  Gap,  with  the  ugly  forts  of  Dalto» 
97 


98  THE  OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

behind.  "We  were  earnest  and  paused  not 
for  difficulty  and  danger,  but  dashed  through 
Snake  Creek  Gap  and  fell  on  Eesaca ;  then 
on  to  Etowah,  to  Dallas,  Kenesaw,  and  the 
heat  of  summer  found  us  on  the  banks  of  the 
Chattahoochee,  far  from  home,  and  dependent 
on  a  single  road  for  supplies.  Again  we  were 
not  to  be  held  back  by  any  obstacle,  but 
crossed  over  and  fought  four  hard  battles  for 
the  possession  of  the  citadel  of  Atlanta.  This 
was  the  crisis  of  our  history.  A  doubt  still 
clouded  our  future ;  but  we  solved  the  prob- 
lem and  destroyed  Atlanta,  struck  boldly 
across  the  state  of  Georgia,  severed  all  the 
main  arteries  of  life  to  our  enemy,  and  Christ- 
mas found  us  at  Savannah.  Waiting  there 
only  long  enough  to  fill  our  wagons  we  again 
began  a  march  which  for  peril,  labor  and  re- 
sults will  compare  with  any  ever  made  by  an 
organized  army.  The  floods  of  the  Savannah, 
the  swamps  of  the  Combahee  and  Edisto,  the 
high  hills  and  rocks  of  the  Santee,  the  flat 
quagmires  of  the  Pedee  and  Cape  Fear  rivers, 
were  all  passed  in  midwinter  in  the  face  of  an 
accumulating  enemy,  and  after  the  battles  of 
Averysboro  and  Bentonville  we  once  more 
came  out  of  the  wilderness  to  meet  our  friends 
at  Goldsboro.  Even  there  we  paused  only 
long  enough  to  get  new  clothing,  to  reload 


FAREWELL   ADDRESSES. 

our  wagons,  and  again  pushed  on  to  Ealeigh 
and  beyond,  until  we  met  our  enemy  suing  for 
peace  instead  of  war,  and  offering  to  submit 
to  the  injured  laws  of  his  and  our  country. 
As  long  as  that  enemy  was  defiant,  no  mount- 
ains, nor  swamps,  nor  rivers,  nor  hunger,  nor 
cold  had  checked  us  ;  but  when  he  who  had 
fought  us  hard  and  persistently  offered  sub- 
mission, your  General  thought  it  wrong  to 
pursue  them  farther,  and  negotiations  fol- 
lowed, as  you  all  know,  in  his  surrender. 
How  far  the  operations  have  contributed  to 
the  final  overthrow  of  the  Confederacy  and 
the  peace  which  now  dawns  upon  us  must  be 
judged  by  others,  not  by  us ;  but  that  you 
have  done  all  that  men  could  do  has  been 
admitted  by  those  in  authority,  and  we  have 
a  right  to  join  in  the  universal  joy  that  fills 
our  land  because  the  war  is  over  and  our  gov- 
ernment stands  vindicated  before  the  world 
by  the  joint  action  of  the  volunteer  armies  of 
the  United  States.  To  such  as  remain  in  the 
military  service  your  General  need  only  re- 
mind you  that  success  in  the  past  was  due  to 
hard  work  and  discipline,  and  that  the  same 
work  and  discipline  are  equally  important  in 
the  future.  To  such  as  go  home  he  will  only 
say  that  our  favored  country  is  so  grand,  so 
extensive,  so  diversified  in  climate,  soil  and 


100  THE   OKLAHOMA   SOOUT. 

productions,  that  every  man  may  find  a  home 
and  occupation  suitable  to  his  taste,  and  none 
should  yield  to  the  natural  impatience  sure 
to  result  from  our  past  life  of  excitement  and 
adventure.  You  will  be  invited  to  seek  new 
adventure  abroad ;  but  do  not  yield  to  the 
temptation,  for  it  will  lead  only  to  disap- 
pointment and  death. 

Your  General  now  bids  you  farewell,  with 
the  full  belief  that  as  in  war  you  have  been 
good  soldiers,  so  in  peace  you  will  be  good 
citizens,  and  if,  unfortunately,  new  war 
should  arise  in  our  country,  "  Sherman's 
army  "  will  be  the  first  to  buckle  on  the  old 
armor  and  come  forth  to  defend  and  maintain 
the  government  of  our  inheritance  and  choice. 
W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Maj.-Gen. 

GEN.    DUSTINGS   FAREWELL   ADDRESS. 

HDQRS.  SD  BRIG.,  3o  Drv.,  20TH  A.  C., 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  June  6,  1865. 

OFFICERS  AND  MEN  OF  THE  2o  BRIGADE: 

My  own  regiment,  the  105th  Illinois  volt 
unteers,  having  been  mustered  out  of  the 
service,  my  connection  with  this  brigade  is 
necessarily  dissolved.  My  grateful  acknowl- 
edgments are  due  you  for  the  uniform  kind- 
ness and  respect  that  have  been  extended  to 
me  during  the  time  I  l*aV3  had  the  honor  to 


: 


IBMY  FORAGE  PILE. 


FAJREWELL  ADDRESSES.  101 

be  your  commanding  officer.  All  honor  to 
the  2d  brigade  for  the  gallant  and  noble 
manner  in  which  it  has  sustained  its  position 
in  that  magnificent  line  of  battle  that  has 
ultimately  closed  in,  surrounded,  fought, 
conquered  and  destroyed  the  great  rebellion. 
As  you  have  in  an  especial  manner  so  bravely 
withstood  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  a 
long  and  bloody  war,  so  you  will  be  the 
sharers  in  an  eminent  degree  of  the  glorious 
results  consequent  upon  the  brilliant  and 
sublime  combination  of  victories  with  which 
the  terrible  conflict  has  been  brought  to  a 
close.  It  is  with  proud  satisfaction  you  may 
exclaim,  "  Now  let  test  thou  thy  servant  de- 
part in  peace,  for  our  eyes  have  seen  the 
salvation  of  our  country."  With  expressions 
of  profound  sorrow  for  the  fate  of  your 
brave  comrades  who  have  fallen,  my  kindest 
feelings  of  respect  and  esteem  will  go  with 
those  of  you  who  are  about  to  return  to  your 
homes,  and  will  also  linger  with  those  who 
may  remain  in  the  service.  God  bless  you 
all  and  crown  your  future  with  that  full 
measure  of  peace,  prosperity  and  happiness 
which  you  so  richly  deserve. 

DANIEL  DTJSTIN. 

Bvt.  Brig. -Gen. 


102  THE   OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 


GEH.  SLOCTTM'S  FAREWELL  ADDEESS. 

HDQKS.  ARMY  OF  GEORGIA, 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  June  6, 1865. 

GENERAL  ORDER  No.  15 : 

With  the  separation  of  the  troops  com- 
posing this  army,  in  compliance  with  recent 
orders,  the  organization  known  as  the  Army 
of  Northern  Georgia  will  virtually  cease  to 
exist.  Many  of  you  will  at  once  return  to 
your  homes.  No  one  now  serving  as  a  vol- 
unteer will  probably  be  detained  in  service 
against  his  will  much  longer.  All  will  soon 
be  permitted  to  return  and  receive  the  re- 
wards due  them  as  the  gallant  defenders  of 
their  country.  While  I  cannot  repress  a  feel- 
ing of  sadness  in  parting  with  you,  I  congrat- 
ulate you  upon  the  grand  results  achieved 
by  your  valor,  fidelity  and  patriotism.  No 
generation  has  done  more  for  the  permanent 
establishment  of  a  just  and  liberal  form  of 
government  —  more  for  the  honor  of  their 
nation — than  has  been  done  during  the  past 
four  years  by  the  armies  of  the  United 
States  and  the  patriotic  people  at  home,  who 
have  poured  out  their  wealth  in  support  of 
these  armies  with  a  liberality  never  before 
witnessed  in  any  country.  Do  not  forget 
the  parting  advice  of  that  great  chieftain 


FAREWELL  ADDEESSES.  103 

who  led  you  through  your  recent  brilliant 
campaigns:  "As  in  war  you  have  been  good 
soldiers,  so  in  peace  be  good  citizens." 
Should  you  ever  desire  to  resume  the  honor- 
able profession  you  are  about  to  leave,  do 
not  forget  that  this  profession  is  honorable 
only  when  followed  in  obedience  to  the 
orders  of  the  constituted  authority  of  your 
government.  "With  feelings  of  deep  grati- 
tude to  each  and  all  of  you  for  your  uni- 
formly soldierly  conduct,  for  the  patience 
and  fortitude  with  which  you  have  borne  all 
the  hardships  it  has  been  necessary  to  im- 
pose upon  you,  and  for  the  unflinching  reso- 
lution with  which  you  have  sustained  the 
holy  cause  in  which  you  have  been  engaged 
I  bid  you  farewell. 

"W.  H.  SLOCTJM,  Maj.-Gen, 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

AFTER  THE   WAK— • OFF   TO   KANSAS. 

The  war  was  now  over.  I  found  myself  at 
home  again,  only  twenty  years  old,  it  is  true, 
but  with  an  experience  that  falls  to  the  lot 
of  few  men.  "While  on  battlefields  and 
while  undergoing  the  hardships  of  fatiguing 
marches  my  mind  had  often  turned  longingly 
toward  home,  and  I  thought  that  if  there  I 
eould  remain  contented  always.  But  I  soon 
found  that  the  old  farm  life,  instead  of  los- 
ing any  of  its  disagreeable  features,  had 
become  more  irksome  than  ever.  The  old 
hay-field,  which  seemed  so  inviting  to  me 
away  down  in  Dixie,  now  resumed  its  forbid- 
ding aspect.  Still  I  remained  at  home  for 
some  time  and  attended  school  during  the 
winter  after  my  return  from  the  army.  In 
the  following  spring  I  went  to  Saginaw  and 
worked  as  sawyer  in  a  mill.  The  hands  were 
a  jolly  set  of  fellows  and  we  managed  to 
enjoy  life  in  pretty  fair  style.  I  remained  at 
Saginaw  during  the  spring,  summer,  and  fall, 
when  I  returned  home.  My  father  had  con- 
cluded to  emigrate  to  Kansas.  This  fell  in 
104 


OFF  TO  KANSAS.  105 

with  my  views.  By  this  time  I  had  begun  to 
consider  how  I  should  provide  for  myself  in 
life,  and  as  land  was  high  in  Michigan  my 
eyes  turned  to  the  boundless  prairies  of 
Kansas.  My  willingness  to  leave  Michigan 
was  increased  by  the  terrible  misfortune  of 
losing  my  mother,  who  died,  leaving  my 
father  a  widower  and  eight  of  us  motherless. 

She  had  always  been  a  tender  and  careful 
parent,  and  I  mourn  her  to-day  as  the  best 
friend  I  ever  had. 

There  had  always  been  perfect  harmony 
between  mother  and  father.  He  was  boss 
outside  and  made  the  children  toe  the  mark, 
but  in  all  matters  connected  with  the  man- 
agement of  the  house  she  was  supreme,  and 
her  slightest  wish  was  heeded.  Whatever 
supplies  of  provisions  for  the  family  or 
clothing  for  the  children  were  needed  she 
only  had  to  indicate  our  wants  and  they  were 
provided  without  dispute  or  debate.  To 
their  credit  as  a  married  couple  be  it  said  I 
never  heard  a  quarrel  of  any  description  be- 
tween them.  I  am  not  stuck  on  the  woman's 
rights  business,  but  I  do  believe  the  wife 
ought  to  have  an  equal  say  so  with  the 
husband  in  all  matters  connected  with  the 
management  of  the  household. 

In  the  year  1867  my  father  moved  to 


106  THE  OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

Platte  county,  Mo.,  near  Parkville.  The 
winter  of  1867-68  I  spent  in  putting  up 
cordwood  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  river 
to  sell  to  steamboats.  There  was  money  to 
be  made  in  the  business,  for  cottonwood  sold 
at  $8  per  cord.  The  prospects  in  Kansas  ap- 
pearing more  inviting  than  those  Missouri 
offered,  in  the  spring  of  1868  we  moved  to 
Kansas.  We  traveled  up  the  Lawrence 
road  from  "Wyandotte  to  Lawrence.  There 
we  met  the  land  agent  for  the  Kansas  Pacific 
Eailroad,  who  informed  us  we  could  get  all 
the  government  land  we  wanted  close  to 
Topeka  —  there  being  little  or  no  settlement 
upon  the  high  lands.  It  being  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  the  country  impressed  us  as 
very  beautiful.  On  our  way  we  met 
families  after  families  returning  to  Missouri, 
Indiana  and  Illinois  who  had  become  dis- 
couraged with  the  prospect.  They  informed 
us  that  there  was  no  tall  grass  west  of  Fort 
Eiley  and  Junction  City.  Junction  City  at 
this  time  was  a  small  place,  being  only  three 
miles  from  Fort  Eiley.  The  town  did  a 
flourishing  business,  as  it  continues  to  do 
to  this  day.  Fort  Eiley  is  built  of  rocks 
and  is  the  finest  post  in  the  Southwest.  It 
is  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Eepublican 
and  Smoky  Hill  rivers,  and  is  claimed  to  be 


OFF  TO  KANSAS.  107 

the  geographical  center  of  the  whole  United 
States.  There  has  been  erected  a  monument 
to  that  effect.  Both  my  father  and  myself 
were  pleased  with  the  place  and  the  country 
around,  but  our  minds  were  made  up  to  see 
Minneapolis,  on  the  Solomon  river,  there- 
fore we  did  not  remain  at  Fort  Riley.  On 
our  way  to  Minneapolis  we  met  a  battalion 
of  cavalry  coming  in  from  their  Indian  cam- 
paign, which  had  been  an  eventful  one,  as 
history  shows.  The  officer  of  the  battalion 
informed  us  that  the  Indians  were  very  bad, 
and  that  they  would  take  our  stock  even  if 
they  spared  our  scalps,  which  was  not  pleas- 
ant news  to  us  tenderfeet.  We  passed 
through  the  town  of  Abilene  on  our  way, 
which  had  a  few  houses  and  a  blacksmith 
shop,  a  hotel,  and  a  small  yard  for  shipping 
cattle.  In  the  spring  of  1869  the  McCoy 
brothers  opened  up  a  trail  from  there  to 
Texas.  They  had  a  contract  with  [the  drov- 
ers to  receive  $3  per  car,  and  $5  per  car  from 
the  Kansas  Pacific  railroad  for  all  through 
cattle  shipped  over  the  road.  Out  of  this 
contract  the  McCoy  brothers  made  $265,000 
in  one  year.  The  drive  between  Abilene  and 
Texas  was  about  1,200  miles.  At  this  junc- 
ture the  Illinois  legislature  was  in  session, 
and  passed  a  bill  forbidding  the  shipment  of 


108  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

cattle  into  that  state.  This  state  of  affairs 
was  ruinous  to  the  McCoy's  business,  and 
they  were  soon  in  the  halls  of  the  Illinois 
legislature,  where  their  names  became  famil- 
iar to  the  newspaper-reading  world.  It  is 
charged  that  they  spent  the  greater  part  of 
Hie  $265,000  where  they  thought  it  would  do 
the  most  good,  but  at  the  end  of  the  session 
they  found  themselves  nearly  out  of  money 
and  the  embargo  still  there.  This  incident 
may  throw  some  light  on  the  perplexing 
problem  how  members  of  the  Illinois  legisla- 
ture manage  to  subsist  on  the  meager  salary 
they  receive.  As  Oscar  "Wilde  would  say, 
the  McCoy  brothers  proved  "too  utterly 
too." 

At  this  time  there  lived  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Muddy,  Tim  Hersey,  who  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers.  To  see  Abilene  to-day  one 
could  scarcely  believe  that  the  streets  at 
that  time  were  full  of  bearded  men,  wearing 
sombreros,  who  had  come  over  a  1,200  mile 
trail  through  a  country  filled  with  hostile  In- 
dians, from  Texas,  there  being  no  settlements 
along  the  entire  route.  The  Indians  in  those 
days  were  on  the  warpath  most  of  the  tune. 
They  would  demand  cattle,  which,  if  not 
given,  they  would  take  by  force,  together 
with  horses.  There  are  a  few  of  the  drovers 


OFF  TO  KANSAS.  100 

and  cowboys  of  that  time  living  to-day: 
James  and  Gid  Rowden,  the  Day  brothers, 
Wm.  Lockridge,  and  the  Johnson  brothers. 
They  are  still  interested  in  the  cattle  busi- 
ness in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Nei- 
ther the  cattle  nor  the  cowboys  of  that  day 
can  be  compared  to  their  representatives  of 
the  present,  for  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  cow- 
boys of  to-day  would  not  get  through  with 
the  mess  wagon  and  the  stake  ropes. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AT  DELPHOS  ON  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  SOLOMON 
EIVER. 

A  word  of  our  trip  to  Minneapolis  may 
prove  interesting  to  those  who  have  taken 
note  of  the  rapid  changes  in  Kansas.  The 
general  aspect  of  the  country  was  so  pleas- 
ing to  me,  and  the  free,  off-handed  ways  of 
the  people  I  liked  so  well,  that  I  was  fully 
captivated  before  I  reached  the  projected 
point  of  our  journey.  I  felt  willing  to  settle 
at  any  point  on  the  route.  The  next  town 
we  passed  through  was  Solomon  City.  Like 
Abilene,  it  was  a  small  trading  post  and  was 
situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Solomon  river. 
The  salt  well  at  the  junction  of  the  Smoky 
Hill  and  Solomon  rivers  was  being  operated. 
The  salt  works  there  to-day  are  the  most 
extensive  in  the  Southwest,  the  evaporating 
pans  covering  some  twelve  acres  of  ground. 
The  process  of  evaporation  is  carried  on  by 
the  natural  agents,  the  sun  and  the  wind. 

At  the  time  of  our  arrival  at  Minneapolis 
we  found  four  houses  and  a  dug-out,  con- 
sisting of  Dr.  McHenry's  drug  store,  Judge 
110 


AT  DELPHOS.  Ill 

Smith's  store,  Markley's  house  and  the  dug 
out.  On  inquiring  we  found  there  were 
plenty  of  river  claims  to  be  had  at  Delphos 
postoffice,  some  thirteen  miles  distant. 
We  went  there  and  located  claims.  There 
were  three  families  who  had  built  a  stockade 
to  protect  themselves  from  the  Indians,  who 
at  the  time  were  very  warlike  and  desperate. 
Stationed  three  miles  up  this  river  was  a 
camp  of  state  militia,  consisting  of  only  ten 
men.  There  were  but  three  families  of 
settlers  west  of  this  point  —  the  Reese  broth- 
ers. We  built  our  cabins,  dug  wells,  and 
did  the  necessary  breaking  of  land,  but 
I  sold  out  my  claim  before  I  proved  it 
up.  Leaving  home  on  the  Solomon  river  I 
went  first  to  Abilene  and  there  joined  an 
outfit  to  look  for  cattle  in  the  southern  part 
of  Kansas  and  the  Indian  territory.  At  that 
date  the  settlements  in  the  southern  part  of 
Kansas  were  sparse.  There  were  a  few 
settlers  on  the  streams.  We  traveled  the 
Chisholm  trail,  but  in  the  meanwhile  scour- 
ing the  surrounding  country  for  cattle.  I 
stopped  at  Fort  Sill.  While  there  I  learned 
of  a  deal  on  the  part  of  Philander  Buckley, 
beef  contractor  for  the  Kiowa  and  Comanche 
Indians,  which  I  deem  of  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  maks  note  of.  Buckley  had  brought 


112  THE  OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

in  a  herd  of  cattle  to  turn  over  to  the  Indian 
agent,  Laurie  Tatum,  the  first  Quaker  agent 
among  the  Kiowas  and  Comanches.  Pre- 
suming on  the  innocence  of  this  disciple  of 
"William  Penn,  Buckley  played  a  little  trick 
which  magnified  one  herd  of  cattle  into  two, 
causing  a  long-suffering  government  to  pay 
for  two  head  of  cattle  where  it  only  received 
one.  This  little  piece  of  legerdemain  was 
cleverly  managed.  Buckley  had  the  cattle 
rounded  up  close  to  a  large  hill  and  had  men 
stationed  at  different  points  with  directions  to 
keep  the  cattle  moving  constantly  around  the 
hill,  and  by  this  means  induced  the  agent  to 
count  the  same  cattle  twice,  and  I  think  they 
would  have  been  counted  a  third  time  if 
night  had  not  come  on.  The  officers  pre- 
sent were  Capt.  Walsh  and  Gen.  Grierson. 
This  incident  serves  to  illustrate  the  general 
condition  of  the  country  at  that  time. 
There  was  a  bold  and  shrewd  class  of  men 
around,  who  were  bent  on  making  money 
and  most  always  succeeded,  but,  I  believe, 
too  frequently  by  methods  resorted  to  by 
the  ingenious  Buckley. 

After  acquiring  a  very  valuable  experience 
in  the  cattle  business  in  the  Indian  country 
I  returned  to  my  claim  on  the  Solomon. 

In  the  winter  of  1869  I  came  with  a  herd 


AT  DELPHOS.  113 

of  cattle,  which  we  wintered  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  present  site  of  Halstead,  on  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad. 
We  turned  the  cattle  loose  and  returned  to 
Abilene.  During  our  absence  the  city  mar- 
shal, Tom  Smith,  had  met  with  a  fatal  acci- 
dent, by  having  his  head  chopped  off  by  a 
couple  of  homesteaders  whom  he  had  gone 
to  arrest.  Life  in  Kansas  in  those  days  was 
in  every  respect  lively.  Adventurous  spirits 
from  all  parts  of  the  country  flocked  into 
the  state  that  seemed  to  be  the  land  of  prom- 
ise. Still  the  idea  was  very  prevalent  that 
the  climate  was  too  dry  to  permit  the  greater 
part  of  the  uplands  from  being  utilized  for 
agricultural  purposes. 

When  we  first  came  to  the  state  we  met 
many  wagons  returning.  The  men  gave  a 
dismal  report  of  the  long  grass  all  being 
played  out,  and  that  the  land  would  raise 
nothing,  and  so  they  were  going  back  to  their 
old  homes,  some  in  one  state  and  some  in 
another.  Most  of  these  belonged  to  a  class 
of  restless  and  rather  shiftless  movers,  who 
travel  backward  and  forward  over  the 
country,  never  stopping  long  enough  in  one 
place  to  take  root.  But  undoubtedly  the 
early  Kansas  settler  met  with  an  abundance 
of  discouragements  which  required  great 


114:  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

nerve  and  resolution  to  overcome.  During 
my  trip  to  Fort  Sill  in  search  of  cattle,  before 
spoken  of,  and  afterward,  I  passed  through 
the  present  flourishing  county  of  Sedgwick, 
and  that  most  ambitious  and  wide-awake  of 
Kansas  towns,  Wichita.  From  the  beginning 
Wichita  had  a  marked  individuality,  which 
made  her  noted  even  in  her  infancy.  The 
plat  of  the  original  town  of  Wichita  was 
surveyed  in  1868.  "  The  Buckhorn  tavern," 
run  by  Henry  Yigus,  was  the  scene  of  much 
border  revelry.  Many  of  the  now  solid 
men  of  the  city  then  got  their  start.  Those 
who  bought  property  in  those  early  days 
and  held  on  to  any  considerable  portion  of 
it  are  now  rich,  without  any  exertion  on 
their  part,  but  from  the  rapid  increase  in  the 
value  of  real  estate. 

William  Mathewson,  now  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  in  the  place,  with  a  great 
deal  of  property  in  the  best  portions  of  the 
city,  was  an  old  timer.  He  had  freighted 
through  Wichita  as  early  as  1860.  He 
crossed  the  Arkansas  river  with  his  wife  in 
1865,  and  some  claim  she  was  the  first  white 
woman  who  ever  crossed  that  stream- 
In  1872  Wichita  became  the  principal 
headquarters  in  Kansas  of  the  Texas  cattle 
business.  It  was  here  that  the  great  herds 


AT  DELPHOS.  115 

from  Texas  centered.  Two  million  dollars 
changed  hands  in  the  cattle  traffic  at  Wichita 
that  year.  Three  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand head  of  Texas  cattle  were  driven  into 
Sedgwick  county  that  year.  At  this  time 
Wichita  was  the  livliest  town  between  the 
two  seas.  Large  sign  boards  were  posted 
up  at  the  four  conspicuous  entrances  into 
town  bearing  this  device,  "  Everything  goes 
in  Wichita.  Leave  your  revolvers  at  police 
headquarters  and  get  a  check.  Carrying  con- 
cealed weapons  strictly  forbidden."  Wichita 
is  now  a  city  of  nearly  20,000  inhabitants, 
and  contains  as  orderly  a  population  as  any 
in  the  state.  But  anecdotes  of  these  stirring 
old  cowboy  days  are  still  current,  and  are 
among  the  first  things  the  stranger  hears. 
I  personally  knew  most  of  the  original  set- 
tlers of  Wichita,  and  number  many  of  them 
among  my  friends. 

It  was  in  the  fall  of  1863  that  the  Indians 
had  captured  Mrs.  Morgan  and  shot  her  hus- 
band while  he  was  husking  corn  in  the  field. 
He  did  not  die  of  the  wound,  but  was  able 
to  leave  the  house  during  the  winter.  Mrs. 
Morgan  was  recaptured  the  next  spring  by 
Gen.  Ouster  from  the  Cheyennes,  at  the 
west  end  of  the  Wichita  mountains,  in  the 
Indian  territory.  There  was  a  jolly  set  of 


116  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

bachelors  living  in  the  neighborhood .  "We 
formed  a  company  and  went  on  a  buffalo 
hunt  for  our  winter's  meat .  Our  party  con- 
sisted of  myself,  George  my  younger  brother, 
Karnes  and  his  brother,  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Skinner  and  his  son,  and  their  teams. 
"We  found  buffalo  about  sixty  miles  from 
home. 

On  the  third  day  out  we  pitched  our  camp, 
and  on  the  fourth  we  commenced  the 
slaughter.  The  buffalo  were  very  wild  and 
we  only  killed  four  the  first  day.  George 
Karnes  mounted  one  of  his  horses  and  ran 
on  to  the  herd.  He  passed  near  where  Skin- 
ner was  stationed,  who  was  watching  another 
herd.  Skinner  seeing  a  man  on  horseback 
bareheaded  took  Karnes  for  an  Indian  and 
shot  him  off  his  horse.  He  was  not  a  little 
shocked  when  he  found  it  was  Karnes  and 
not  an  Indian  he  had  shot.  Karnes  fell  to 
the  ground  and  his  horse  ran  into  camp, 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  distant.  Skinner 
remained  with  Karnes  and  tried  to  carry  him 
into  camp.  He  was  shot  in  the  neck,  and 
the  ball  lodged  near  the  spinal  column.  I 
was  close  to  camp  and  saw  the  horse  come 
in.  I  at  once  got  upon  him  and  commenced 
to  search  for  his  rider.  I  had  nearly  reached 
the  spot  where  he  fell  when  I  met  Skinner, 


AT   DELPHOS.  117 

who  told  me  what  had  happened.  "We  put 
Karnes  upon  the  horse  and  brought  him  into 
camp.  That  night  I  took  my  team  and 
drove  all  night  and  reached  home  about 
noon.  There  we  changed  teams  and  drove 
on  to  Minneapolis,  where  the  ball  was  cut 
out  of  Karnes'  neck  by  Dr.  McHenry. 
After  a  time  he  recovered,  and  I  think  is  liv- 
ing to-day.  Karnes'  father  had  been  killed 
by  the  Indians  the  year  before,  whose  sad 
fate  nearly  caused  the  death  of  his  aged 
mother. 


CHAPTEK  XIY. 

SKIRMISH    WITH    INDIANS. 

The  next  spring  Karnes,  McDowell  and 
myself  went  to  look  for  horses  up  the  Solo- 
mon river.  McDowell  was  in  the  lead.  We 
saw  him  dismount  and  lead  his  horse  down 
the  hill.  He  motioned  us  to  come  to  him, 
which  we  did  as  quietly  as  possible.  He  told 
us  there  were  four  Indians  sitting  around  a 
fire  just  over  the  hill.  They  were  cooking 
some  meat.  Karnes  wanted  to  kill  them.  So 
it  was  agreed  that  we  should  all  creep  upon 
them,  and  that  one  should  count  one,  two, 
three,  when  all  should  fire.  But  before  the 
word  was  given  one  of  the  guns  went  off  ac- 
cidently,  which  caused  the  others  to  fire. 
The  result  was  that  neither  of  us  killed  an 
Indian. 

We  were  obliged  to  return  home,  not  hav- 
ing found  any  horses.  The  Indians  had 
driven  them  off.  During  the  summer  I 
herded  cattle  on  Pipe  creek  for  Sherman  & 
Wells.  In  the  fall  I  went  to  the  big  bend  of 
the  Missouri  river,  above  Council  Bluffs,  with 
a  large  herd  of  cattle.  I  remained  with  the 
118 


SKIRMISH   WITH   INDIANS.  119 

herd  until  late  in  the  winter  and  then  returned 
to  Abilene,  where  I  remained  until  spring. 
From  Abilene  I  went  to  Salina  and  herded 
cattle  until  about  the  1st  of  August,  1871. 
About  the  18th  of  August  I,  in  company 
with  five  others,  left  our  homes  on  the  Solo- 
mon river  to  kill  buffalo  for  their  tallow,  for 
which  the  Kansas  Pacific  Kailroad  Company 
was  paying  fifteen  cents  a  pound  to  use  on 
their  trains  as  grease.  "We  traveled  up  the 
Solomon  river  to  Oak  creek,  and  camped 
near  the  present  town  of  Cawker  City.  Here 
we  killed  some  deer.  There  were  plenty  of 
buffalo  in  the  country,  but  they  were  all  in 
motion.  Some  of  them  came  near  running 
off  our  stock.  Bill  McDowell  and  I  both 
thought  at  the  time  that  there  were  Indians 
in  the  vicinity  on  account  of  the  restlessness 
of  the  buffalo.  We  were  compelled  to  sit 
up  late  at  night  shooting  into  the  herd  of 
buffalo  in  order  to  keep  them  from  stamped- 
ing our  stock.  It  was  an  immense  herd. 
The  earth  shook  under  their  tread,  and  the 
noise  was  heard  like  the  roar  of  distant 
thunder  for  miles.  Some  idea  of  their  num- 
ber may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  they 
were  four  hours  passing  our  camp,  and  there 
was  no  telling  how  wide  the  column  was. 
Before  dark  we  could  see  buffalo  in  every 


120  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

direction  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  The 
next  morning  we  went  south  to  look  for 
the  buffalo  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Solo- 
mon, traveling  about  fifteen  miles.  When 
we  got  there  we  noticed  moccasin  tracks  in 
the  sand  along  the  river,  where  the  Indians 
had  dismounted  to  get  water  We  found  a 
convenient  place  close  to  the  river  to  camp 
and  suitable  for  rendering  out  our  tallow. 
The  country  was  black  with  buffalo.  That 
afternoon  we  got  things  ready  to  do  big 
work  the  next  day,  but  managed  to  kill 
eight  or  ten  buffalo  which  were  very  fat. 
The  next  morning  McDowell  and  myself, 
who  did  the  hunting,  killed  eighteen  by  11 
o'clock.  It  was  very  warm  and  we  had  no 
water,  as  the  buffalo  staid  away  from  the 
river  until  the  middle  of  the  day.  The  tal- 
low has  to  be  cut  from  the  carcass  shortly 
after  it  is  killed  to  keep  it  from  souring. 
After  doing  this  I  told  McDowell  I  was 
going  to  camp,  being  extremely  thirsty  and 
on  the  verge  of  sunstroke.  I  think  this  reso- 
lution saved  both  our  lives.  McDowell  was 
so  thirsty  he  drank  some  blood.  Our  guns 
by  this  time  were  very  dirty .  "We  struck  the 
river  some  distance  from  camp,  and  waded 
in  the  water  some  distance  to  cool  ourselves 
and  drink  all  we  wanted.  We  got  to  camp 


SKIRMISH  WITH  INDIANS.  121 

and  told  them  where  they  would  find  the 
tallow  and  some  of  the  nicest  meat  they  had 
ever  seen.  Four  of  them  started  with  a 
team  to  haul  it  in.  They  were  absent  about 
an  hour  and  a  half.  In  the  meantime  I  had 
cleaned  my  gun  and  fixed  a  place  to  smoke 
meat.  Shortly  after  the  party  returned  with 
the  meat  one  of  them  looked  up  and  ex- 
claimed, "  What  is  that  ? " 

I  was  at  the  time  lying  on  the  ground  hav- 
ing been  asleep.  I  heard  him  say  they  were 
women,  and  I  knew  at  once  they  were  Indians, 
for  there  were  to  my  certain  knowledge  no 
women  in  that  country  ;  but  the  calico  shirts 
and  long,  streaming  hair  of  the  red  devils 
had  caused  the  tenderfoot  to  conclude  they 
were  females.  I  jumped  to  my  feet,  told 
them  to  tie  their  horses,  and  for  each  man  to 
get  his  own  gun.  It  was  a  lucky  thing  we 
were  all  in  camp  together.  Old  man  Doty 
still  insisted  they  were  women,  even  if  they 
were  Indians,  but  McDowell  said : 

"  Women !  You'll  find  out  in  two  minutes 
whether  they  are  women  or  not." 

Where  we  had  killed  the  buffalo  was  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  some  two  miles 
from  camp.  The  Indians  had  been  attracted 
by  the  firing,  and  had  seen  the  men  with  the 
wagon  hauling  off  the  meat  and  tallow,  and 

0 


122  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

had  followed  them,  keeping  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  and  evidently  bent  on  fright- 
ening them  from  the  timber.  They  forded 
the  river  about  three  hundred  steps  north  of 
our  camp.  The  Indians  evidently  thought 
the  men  with  the  wagon  were  farther  from 
camp  than  was  the  fact,  and  expected  to  at- 
tack them  when  away  from  the  timber,  where 
they  could  bring  in  play  the  Cheyenne  tactics 
of  riding  around  in  a  circle  and  shooting  at 
their  leisure,  and  with  comparative  safety  to 
themselves,  by  keeping  on  the  opposite  side 
of  their  horses.  As  soon  as  the  Indians  saw 
us  they  commenced  firing  from  a  distance  of 
about  two  hundred  yards.  The  first  bullet 
struck  a  tree  about  a  foot  above  the  head  of 
young  Doty,  and  evidently  startled  him  con- 
siderably. His  dodging  would  have  done 
credit  to  a  duck,  but  nevertheless  he  stood 
the  firing  like  a  man.  One  of  the  men,  how- 
ever, was  so  badly  scared  as  to  become  de- 
moralized. He  thought  the  best  place  to 
fight  from  was  under  the  wagon.  His  idea 
was  to  shoot  the  Indians  in  the  legs  so  they 
couldn't  get  up  to  us.  Things  began  to  get 
lively.  McDowell  and  I  hastily  finished  ty- 
ing the  horses  to  the  wagons  and  trees  so  the 
Indians  could  not  make  them  break  loose. 
McDowell  had  also  been  a  soldier  in  the  war 


SKIRMISH   WITH   INDIANS.  123 

of  the  rebellion,  and  the  sound  of  the  whist- 
ling bullet  was  not  unfamiliar  to  his  ears.  I 
put  a  few  plain  words  to  my  friend  under  the 
wagon  and  then  turned  my  attention  to  busi- 
ness, for  by  this  time  the  Indians  made  a 
rush  for  our  camp.  They  had  their  war  paint 
on,  were  naked  to  their  waists,  and  it  was  a 
sight  to  see  them  coming  at  full  speed  on 
their  fleet  ponies  with  the  regular  Indian 
whoop.  The  covetous  devils  evidently  had 
an  eye  on  our  stock  as  well  as  our  scalps.  As 
they  rushed  into  camp  they  goaded  our  horses 
with  spurs  to  make  them  break  loose.  One 
fellow,  with  a  light  gray  blanket,  passed  near 
me  and  thrust  his  spear  into  the  hip  of  one 
of  the  horses  belonging  to  my  valiant  friend 
under  the  wagon.  I  gave  him  a  couple  of 
shots  with  my  revolver  at  close  range,  not 
more  than  two  feet.  I  could  see  that  the  pow- 
der blackened  his  blanket.  His  pony  carried 
him  off,  as  they  generally  tied  themselves  on 
their  horses  before  going  into  battle,  but  I 
think  those  pills  must  have  made  him  pretty 
sick.  The  situation  was  mighty  lively  for  a 
couple  of  hours.  The  Indians  kept  circling 
around  us,  clinging  to  the  side  of  their  horses 
opposite  from  us,  and  making  demonstrations 
as  if  they  would  come  right  through  camp. 
We  each  of  us  got  a  tree  and  shot  whenever 


124  THB   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

the  chance  occurred,  but  were  careful  not  to 
all  shoot  at  the  same  time.  It  was  a  hot  day, 
and  dodging  for  two  or  three  hours  around  a 
cotton  wood  tree  had  made  us  all  thirsty,  but 
it  was  extremely  dangerous  to  leave  cover  to 
get  water.  Finally  I  could  stand  it  no  longer, 
and  seized  a  coffeepot  and  taking  my  gun  in 
hand  ran  fifty  or  seventy-five  yards  to  the 
river.  I  hadn't  much  expectation  of  getting 
back,  but  was  bound  to  have  water.  As  it 
turned  out  I  got  the  water  without  injury, 
Although  the  redskins  treated  me  to  several 
jshots.  During  the  fighting  McDowell  and  I 
counseled  together  and  determined  to  pro- 
tect our  stock  to  the  last,  but  one  of  the  men 
said  his  family  could  get  along  better  without 
his  horses  than  they  could  without  him,  but 
our  conclusion  was  that  when  they  got  our 
horses  we  would  be  in  a  condition  where  we 
would  not  need  them.  Finally  the  Indians 
ceased  their  attack  and  disappeared.  We  sus- 
pected the  rascals  had  gone  after  help.  Mc- 
Dowell and  I  went  to  the  top  of  the  bank  of 
the  main  bottom,  about  fifty  steps  from  the 
tree  where  I  was  stationed,  and  peeping  over 
saw  about  three  or  four  hundred  yards  off 
twenty-one  Indians  sitting  in  a  circle  holding 
a  council  of  war,  I  told  McDowell  I  was 


SKIRMISH   WITH   INDIANS. 

going  to  get  one  more  shot  in  while  they  sat 
there. 

He  said:  "  All  right ;  let  us  take  a  man 
apiece  and  help  them  to  jump  up,"  I 
rested  my  gun  on  a  buffalo  chip,  took  as 
good  aim  as  I  knew  how  and  fired.  Both  of 
our  guns  went  off  about  the  same  time.  We 
only  had  muzzle-loading  guns,  and  had  to 
rush  back  to  cover  to  reload.  I  never  knew 
what  effect  our  shots  had,  but  there  was 
lively  jumping  among  the  Indians,  who 
mounted  their  horses  and  were  in  our  camp 
.almost  as  soon  as  McDowell  and  myself 
were.  We  got  to  our  trees  and  made  it  so 
warm  for  them  that  they  soon  backed  out. 
One  man  said  he  thought  they  would  let  us 
alone  if  we  would  give  up  our  horses,  but 
that  we  were  not  going  to  do. 

The  Indians  came  at  us  again.  One,  more 
bold  than  the  rest,  tried  to  creep  up  on  us. 
He  was  coming  toward  the  tree  where  Mc- 
Dowell was  stationed.  He  was  in  the  act  of 
rising  to  his  knees  to  shoot  when  he  got  the 
contents  of  McDowell's  gun  in  his  breast. 
When  the  bullet  struck  him  he  lunged  for- 
ward, and  I  thought  at  one  time  he  was  com- 
ing into  camp.  But  he  had  his  death  wound, 
and  after  rolling  five  or  six  feet  down  the 
bank  remained  quiet.  His  comrades  rushed 


126  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

in  on  their  horses,  and  grabbing  him  by  the 
belt  and  hair  dragged  him  off.  In  the  mean- 
time we  got  in  several  additional  shots,  but 
whether  effective  or  not  we  could  not  tell,  as 
we  didn't  stop  an j  of  them.  But  we  got  the 
spear,  gun  and  blanket  of  the  Indian  Mc- 
Dowell had  shot.  These  were  trophies.  I 
took  the  lance,  one  of  the  Doty  boys  the 
gun,  and  I  don't  remember  what  became  of 
the  blanket.  This  happened  about  4  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  and  the  Indians  were  not 
so  brave  as  they  had  been.  But  they  still 
kept  a  watch  on  us  and  fired  an  occasional 
shot.  As  soon  as  it  became  dark  we  started 
down  the  river  with  our  entire  outfit.  There 
was  at  that  time  a  block-house  at  the  forks 
of  the  Solomon,  built  by  the  troops,  which 
we  hastened  to  reach.  We  had  not  been 
long  out  of  camp  before  two  Indians  crossed 
our  trail.  They  made  no  hostile  demonstra- 
tions, but  hurried  away  in  the  darkness.  We 
reached  the  block-house  about  3  o'clock  next 
morning,  and  to  our  surprise  we  found  two 
families  there  who  had  come  to  do  work  on 
their  claims.  When  we  told  them  we  had 
been  fighting  Indians  all  the  afternoon  they 
were  very  glad  of  our  arrival.  About  day- 
break next  morning,  after  we  had  had  break- 
one  of  the  boys  said,  "There  they  go." 


SKIRMISH   WITH   INDIANS.  127 

And  sure  enough,  in  three  or  four  hundred 
yards  of  the  stockade  was  a  band  of  Indians 
several  hundred  in  number.  We  did  not 
stop  to  parley,  but  turned  lose  on  them. 
There  were  three  men  we  found  in  the  out- 
fit at  the  stockade.  This  reinforcement  made 
us  a  party  of  ten,  and  capable  of  making  a 
good  fight,  which  the  Indians  seemed  to  ap- 
preciate, for  they  did  not  tarry  to  try  con- 
clusions with  us,  but  passed  on  northward. 
Skinner,  the  man  who  the  season  before  had 
shot  Karnes  off  his  horse  while  hunting 
buffalo  because  he  was  riding  with  his  hat  off, 
and  whom  he  mistook  for  an  Indian,  here 
put  in  some  talk  about  men  always  shooting 
at  Indians.  He  said  this  was  the  reason  the 
settlers  had  so  much  trouble.  I  told  him  to 
wait  until  I  got  through  shooting  at  the  red- 
skins and  I  would  wear  my  gun  out  over 
him.  "We  saw  no  more  of  this  band 
of  Indians.  There  was  a  squadroon  of 
United  States  cavalry  encamped  at  this 
time  at  the  Great  Spirit  springs.  Three 
streams  of  water  run  out  of  the  spring,  one 
to  the  west,  one  to  the  north  and  the  third 
to  the  east.  This  was  to  the  Indians  a 
sacred  fountain.  They  threw  into  it  offer- 
ings of  various  sorts,  bows,  arrows,  blankets 
guns,  moccasins,  robes  and  other  articles  to 


128  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

propitiate  the  favor  of  the  Great  Spirit,  to 
whom  they  supposed  this  spot  was  peculiarly 
sacred.  It  was  a  place  of  general  resort  for 
the  different  tribes  of  Indians. 

We  left  the  stockade  the  next  morning 
and  reached  home  without  further  incident 
deserving  mention.  After  this  experience 
with  the  Indians  I  went  to  Topeka  and  got 
a  situation  with  the  Wells-Fargo  Express 
Company,  and  transferred  freight  from  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  to  the  Union 
Pacific  railroad  for  nearly  two  years.  Dur- 
ing this  period  of  my  life  I  remember  of  only 
one  incident  that  would  be  of  any  interest 
to  the  public.  In  the  winter  of  18Y3  I  saved 
the  life  of  a  Catholic  priest,  who  had  charge 
of  a  little  flock  at  Newman  Station.  He 
wanted  to  take  the  six  o'clock  plug  train  to 
Kansas  City.  I  heard  some  one  fall  against 
the  express  office  door  and  thought  it  might 
be  some  one  seeking  entrance  for  the  pur- 
pose of  robbery.  After  securing  the  safe  I 
took  my  pistol  and  went  out  to  see  wl$t  was 
the  matter.  I  found  a  man  lying  close  to  the 
platform,  right  across  one  rail  of  the  road. 
The  train  was  due  in  five  minutes,  and  if  I 
had  not  found  him  it  certainly  would*  have 
crushed  him  to  death.  I  stepped  off  the 
platform,  saw  the  train  coining,  caught  him 


SKIRMISH   WITH   INDIANS.  129 

by  the  collar,  and  with  one  jerk  landed  him 
on  the  platform.  The  only  recognition  I 
received  for  my  timely  services  was  the 
maudlin  remark,  "  You're  too  smart,  young 
man."  Those  were  the  days  of  express 
robberies.  I  was  on  a  passenger  train  which 
was  robbed  at  Muncie,  seven  miles  out  of 
Kansas  City,  in  1873.  Out  of  curiosity  I 
stuck  my  head  out  of  the  window,  when 
some  fellow  halloed,  "  Take  it  in  or  I  will 
shoot  it  off."  I  complied  with  his  request. 
McDaniel  was  one  of  the  parties  connected 
with  this  robbery.  He  was  arrested  and 
taken  to  Lawrence.  He  escaped  from  jail, 
but  was  killed  by  an  old  German  who  dis- 
covered his  hiding  place  and  was  trying  to 
arrest  him.  The  name  of  the  conductor  on 
the  train  was  Jake  Brinkerhoff ,  and  that  of 
the  engineer  Bob  Murphy.  While  working 
for  the  express  company  I  never  knew  when 
to  look  for  a  visit  from  these  gentlemen,  and 
always  kept  a  sharp  look  out.  But  I  never 
met  with  any  adventure. 

I  was  employed  by  Fenlon  &  "Wilson,  of 
Leavenworth,  in  1874,  to  work  with  a  bull 
train  on  the  Dodge  City  and  Fort  Elliott 
trail.  It  was  light  work  and  I  had  a  pleas- 
ant time.  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  some 
fine  fellows  at  Dodge  City,  among  others  Joe 


130  THE   OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

Mason,  who  was  boss  of  a  bull  train  for 
Wright  &  Kath.  We  were  snowed  up  for 
eight  days  at  one  time,  and  the  train  I 
worked  in  laid  close  to  Joe's.  We  spent 
the  time  in  hunting  turkey  and  playing  monte. 
It  took  us  twenty-five  days  to  make  the  trip 
from  Dodge  City  to  Fort  Elliott.  During 
the  winter  I  was  camped  on  the  headwaters 
of  the  north  prong  of  Red  river.  Fort 
Elliott  is  situated  on  the  headwaters  of  Sweet 
Water.  While  in  camp  here  during  the 
winter  I  had  two  of  my  horses  stolen  by  a 
party  of  Mexicans.  They  had  come  over 
into  the  northern  part  of  the  state  plains  the 
winter  before  to  dry  buffalo  meat,  and  while 
so  engaged  the  notorious  Bill  Henderson 
raided  their  camp,  burning  all  their  wagons 
and  stealing  all  their  horses  and  cattle,  about 
600  in  number.  In  retaliation  the  Mexicans 
were  picking  up  horses  belonging  to  any  one 
in  that  vicinity,  and  pounced  on  two  of  mine. 
I  followed  the  outfit  to  Fort  Sill,  across  200 
miles  of  country  without  a  solitary  house  or 
camp.  Nothing  crossed  this  region  only 
roving  bands  of  Indians.  With  the  assist- 
tance  of  Jack  Stillwell,  government  scout  at 
Fort  Sill,  I  recovered  my  horses,  but  one  was 
so  jaded  I  left  him  behind  and  bought  an- 
other animal  and  started  back  to  Fort  Elliott 


fiKIEMISH   WITH   INDIANS.  131 

on  that  long,  lonely  ride.  I  encountered  the 
severest  storms  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to 
be  out  in.  I  had  got  about  fifty  miles  from 
Fort  Sill  when  it  commenced  raining  and 
blowing.  Salt  Slough,  at  the  west  end  of  the 
Wichita  mountains,  was  the  only  place  I 
could  camp,  as  there  was  no  grass  anywhere 
else,  the  whole  country  being  burned  over. 
About  noon  I  saw  some  Indian  tracks  across 
the  trail  and  concluded  not  to  stop  for  din- 
ner. There  was  no  wood  of  any  kind  in  that 
vicinity,  and  the  buffalo  chips  were  by  this 
time  so  wet  they  would  not  burn,  so  I  could 
not  get  supper.  Toward  midnight  the  wind 
got  in  the  north.  The  rain  froze  as  fast  as 
it  fell.  The  horses  became  so  cold  they 
'pulled  up  their  stake  pins.  I  had  to  tie  them 
together  and  sit  up  and  hold  them  to  keep 
them  from  getting  away.  All  this  time  the 
jyind  was  getting  higher,  and  it  began  to 
snow  furiously.  I  was  nearly  frozen,  and 
would  have  endeavored  to  travel  in  the  night, 
but  before  the  rain  the  wind  had  blown  the 
sand  unto  the  trail,  obliterating  it  in  places, 
so  I  was  fearful  I  might  miss  my  way.  Morn- 
ing dawned  at  last.  It  was  snowing  small 
particles  of  ice  about  the  size  of  small  shot. 
Getting  breakfast  was  out  of  the  question, 
so  necking  my  horses  together  I  struck  out 


132  THE   OKLAHOMA  SOOUT. 

on  the  trail,  walking  behind  the  horses  and 
driving  them.  It  was  all  I  could  do  to  make 
them  face  the  storm.  I  had  eaten  nothing 
since  the  morning  before,  and  knew  it  was 
thirty  miles  before  I  conld  find  a  stick  of 
wood.  I  pressed  on,  however,  until  I  got  to 
the  head  of  a  small  stream  that  empties  into 
the  north  fork  of  Eed  river,  about  2  or  3 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  having  been  travel- 
ing since  the  first  break  of  day.  The  storm 
was  becoming  worse  all  the  time.  I  could 
see  nothing  to  make  a  fire  with  close  to  the 
trail.  I  went  down  the  creek  about  half  a 
mile,  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a 
rat's  nest  which  was  not  wet  through.  On 
my  way  back  I  discovered  a  canon  which 
was  pretty  well  protected  from  the  wind. 
To  this  spot  I  made  haste  to  bring  the 
horses,  and  by  means  of  the  rat's  nest  and 
some  dry  wood  I  found  soon  had  a  fire.  I 
was  as  well  dressed  as  a  man  could  be  to 
meet  such  weather,  but  I  was  nearly  frozen 
to  death.  My  face,  hands  and  feet  were 
frost-bitten,  but  I  didn't  think  about  giving 
up.  I  killed  a  couple  of  turkeys  and  pre- 
pared a  good  dinner.  While  cooking  the 
meal  I  saw  a  horseman  traveling  with  the 
wind.  I  had  to  shoot  to  attract  his  atten- 
tion, He  proved  to  be  a  soldier  of  the  4th 


SKIRMISH   WITH   INDIANS.  133 

cavalry,  stationed  at  Fort  Elliott,  and  he  was 
carrying  dispatches  to  Fort  Sill.  He  camped 
with  me  in  this  canon  for  two  days.  Al- 
though he  had  been  riding  with  the  wind  he 
was  nearly  perished. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  the  storm 
was  sufficiently  abated  to  permit  me  to  pro- 
ceed on  my  journey.  I  reached  Fort  Elliott 
without  further  adventure  or  trouble.  I  re- 
mained there  until  spring,  when  I  went  to 
Dodge  City.  I  spent  the  remainder  of  that 
year  gathering  cattle  for  Hunter  Evans  and 
Company  in  all  parts  of  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory and  portions  of  New  Mexico.  While 
riding  through  the  Kiowa  and  Comanche 
country  one  day  during  the  summer,  coming 
down  off  of  a  divide  to  the  north  fork  of 
Red  river,  I  was  riding  along  a  draw  that 
put  into  the  river,  when  I  saw  ahead  of  me 
a  horse  go  through  the  opening  between  two 
sand  hills.  I  saw  another  horse  go  through, 
and  changed  my  course  from  the  ravine  to 
the  ridge.  When  I  reached  the  top  of  the 
divide  I  saw  five  Indians  sitting  on  their 
horses  and  apparently  waiting  for  me  to 
come  through  the  hollow.  They  were  about 
three  hundred  yards  off.  I  shouted  to  them, 
"  I'm  too  old."  They  turned  and  rode  off 
toward  the  river.  I  rode  ten  miles  on  my 


THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

way,  by  which  time  it  was  dark.  I  stopped 
long  enough  to  cook  and  eat  my  supper,  but 
thought  it  prudent  to  put  the  fire  out  and 
ride  on.  I  saddled  my  horse  and  rode  five 
miles  further.  I  picketed  my  horse  some  dis- 
tance from  the  trail  and  went  to  bed  in  the 
long  grass.  The  weather  was  warm  and  I 
spent  a  comfortable  night.  Very  early  next 
morning  I  was  on  my  horse  and  made  for  the 
high  land  on  the  divide,  where  I  could  look 
around.  I  could  see  a  few  buffalo  at  a  dis- 
tance, but  there  were  no  traces  of  Indians. 
I  traveled  all  day  and  at  night  camped  on  a 
tributary  of  the  Washita  river.  Before  going 
to  sleep  I  climbed  a  high  hill  from  which  I 
could  look  along  the  river.  I  discovered  quite 
a  number  of  camp  fires  two  or  three  miles  off, 
scattered  along  the  river.  I  knew  they  were 
Indians,  and  made  up  my  mind  it  would  be 
the  safer  course  to  ride  farther  that  night. 

This  occurred  about  fifty  miles  southwest 
of  the  Wichita  agency.  I  rode  about  thirty 
miles  that  night,  and  the  next  day  reached 
the  Wichita  agency.  I  mention  this  incident 
to  show  that  a  man  traveling  through  a 
country  inhabited  by  wild  Indians  should 
always  be  on  the  safe  side-,  for  he  can  never 
be  certain  they  will  not  take  his  scalp  if  they 
get  a  chance. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TRIP  TO  AEIZONA. 

In  the  spring  of  1875  I  went  to  Prescott, 
Arizona.  I  went  there  in  the  employment 
of  Jim  Kennedy  to  locate  a  cattle  ranch.  I 
found  too  many  rustlers  in  that  country  to 
render  it  safe  to  let  cattle  run  loose,  and  I 
concluded  it  wouldn't  do  to  make  the  vent- 
ure, although  it  was  a  good  cattle  country. 

From  Prescott  I  went  to  Camp  Grant,  and 
then  started  for  Las  Yegas,  N.  M.  There  I 
met  an  Illinois  boy  who  was  buying  wool  for 
an  eastern  company.  He  wanted  to  travel 
with  me  and  bought  a  saddle  horse  for  that 
purpose.  We  rode  together  some  time  and 
I  found  him  good  company. 

One  day  after  heavy  rains  we  came  to  a 
creek  which  was  high.  I  told  him  we  had  to 
cross.  When  I  got  my  horse  in  I  found  it 
was  swimming.  I  had  the  pack-mule  fast- 
ened to  the  horn  of  my  saddle  with  a  rope. 
With  the  young  man's  assistance  I  got  him 
in,  but  the  baggage  proved  top  heavy,  and 
it  turned  the  mule  over  with  his  head  under 
the  water.  My  Sucker  friend  yelled  out, 

135  ' 


186  tHE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

"You'll  drown  the  mule!"  But  I  kept  on 
and  dragged  the  mule  to  the  other  shore.  I 
unpacked  the  mule  and  called  to  him  to 
come  over,  but  he  said,  "  Not  by  a  large  ma- 
jority," and  went  up  and  down  the  stream 
hunting  for  a  ford.  I  made  a  fire  and 
cooked  dinner  and  threw  my  timid  friend  a 
biscuit  across  the  river.  He  finally  found  a 
ford  away  up  the  creek  and  joined  me.  My 
chance-made  friend  has  since  written  to  me, 
but  his  name  has  escaped  my  memory.  He 
made  himself  very  agreeable,  and  I  remem- 
ber our  acquaintance  with  pleasure. 

On  our  journey  we  had  to  travel  through 
a  sterile  country,  barren  of  water  and  food 
for  our  horses.  We  provided  ourselves  with 
three  gallons  of  water  each,  which  had  to 
answer  for  ourselves  and  stock.  We  watered 
them  out  of  the  crowns  of  our  hats.  We 
commenced  our  journey  at  3  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  and  rode  all  night  and  reached 
water  and  food  the  next  day  about  6  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  The  sun  was  extremely 
hot,  and  my  friend,  more  dead  than  alive, 
begged  to  be  forgiven  for  being  so  fool- 
hardy as  to  take  this  journey.  Wool,  he  said, 
was  no  object. 

About  the  year  1876  Dorsey  and  Camp- 
bell were  cattle  dealers,  and  have  since 


TRIP   TO   ARIZONA.  13Y 

become  the  most  extensive  horse  trading 
firm  in  the  southwestern  country.  Dorsey 
was  born  in  Bellaire,  Ohio,  and  deserves 
more  than  a  cursory  notice.  Raised  on  a 
farm,  in  his  early  youth  he  became  thor- 
oughly conversant  with  the  handling  and 
breeding  of  stock.  Having  saved  some 
money,  at  the  age  of  twenty -one  he  started 
out  for  himself,  went  to  Texas,  where  he 
purchased  a  herd  of  cattle  and  started  them 
north  over  the  trail.  I  first  met  him  on  the 
nine  mile  ridge,  near  Dodge  City,  grazing  a 
large  drove  of  cattle,  in  the  summer  of  1876. 
I  was  very  much  struck  with  his  appearance 
at  the  first  meeting,  and  we  have  continued 
warm  friends  ever  since.  He  was  a  little 
above  the  medium  height,  thick  set  and 
sinewy,  with  blue  eyes,  a  handsome,  open 
countenance,  always  smiling,  and  possessing 
a  good-natured,  genial  disposition,  which 
now,  as  then,  made  him  liked  by  all  his 
associates.  His  word  was  as  good  as  "  gilt- 
edged  "  paper,  and  he  has  always  been  an 
unswerving  and  helping  friend  to  the  stock- 
men. Although  he  is  now  but  thirty-two 
years  old  his  name  is  familiar  from  King's 
ranch  to  St.  Louis.  At  present  he  is  settled 
in  Wichita,  where  he  owns  large  stables  — 
handling  from  1,500  to  2,000  head  of  horses 
to 


138  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

and  mules  annually.  His  partner,  Mr.  James 
Campbell,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  has  been 
in  the  cattle  business  for  a  number  of  years 
and  in  his  disposition  and  general  demeanor 
is  a  good  counterpart  of  his  partner.  He  re- 
sides at  Caldwell,  where  he  manages  the 
range  for  cattle  and  horses.  No  two  better 
men  ever  struck  a  trail,  and  they  have  the 
entire  confidence  of  every  dealer  in  the 
Southwest. 

In  January,  1877,  Edward  Finlan  tele- 
graphed to  me  at  Dodge  City  to  come  to 
Wichita  and  join  a  party  to  lay  out  a  trail 
from  Wichita  to  Barrel  Springs.  On  reach- 
ing Wichita  I  found  the  party  all  ready  for 
service  and  awaiting  my  arrival. 


CHAPTEE  XYL 

TBAIL     FROM     WICHITA    TO     CANTON- 
MENT. 


The  party  consisted  of  a  detachment 
from  the  24th  infantry,  under  command  of 
Lieut.  Hyle,  Benj.  F.  "Wilson,  son  of  Levi 
Wilson,  of  Leavenworth,  Cyrus  Beard  and 
myself.  There  was  one  government  ambu* 
lance,  one  escort  wagon,  and  two  four-horse 
baggage  wagons,  containing  our  bedding, 
luggage,  tents  and  camp  equipage.  We 
reached  South  Haven  in  a  driving  blizzard, 
where  we  remained  two  days,  and  then 
entered  the  territory.  The  route  was  soft, 
muddy,  and  the  traveling  very  difficult,  and 
slow.  The  weather  continued  cold  and  disa- 
greeable, and  we  were  frequently  stopped  by 
obstructions  to  our  passage.  Fortunately 
the  creeks  were  low,  and  we  experienced 
little  trouble  in  crossing  them.  At  Salt 
fork  and  Turkey  creek  our  wagons  broke 
through  the  ice,  causing  us  a  great  deal  of 
delay  and  trouble  in  extracting  the  wagons 
and  horses,  and  giving  us  a  good  ducking.  I 
was  fortunate  in  having  brought  my  horse* 
139 


140  THE  OKLAHOMA  SOOtTT. 

which  I  mounted,  and  Beard  and  myself  rode 
eight  miles  through  a  severe  snowstorm  to 
reach  a  habitation.  It  was  one  of  the  coldest, 
dreariest  days  I  ever  knew  The  wind  cut  us 
through  and  through,  while  our  clothes  were 
frozen  from  our  waist  down.  Sheer  desper- 
ation alone  kept  us  up,  when  after  much 
suffering  we  reached  Smith's  ranch  on  Deer 
creek,  where  we  were  hospitably  entertained 
and  enjoyed  a  good  night's  rest. 

After  entering  the  territory  we  angled  to 
the  southwest,  experiencing  much  difficulty 
in  finding  a  trail  which  would  be  passable 
and  afford  pasturage  for  cattle.  "We  named 
one  creek  after  Lieut.  Hyle  just  before  strik- 
ing the  Cimarron  river,  where  I  located  a 
good  crossing  which  I  had  found  while 
on  scout  with  Lieut.  Cushman  the  year  pre- 
vious, when  he  was  escorting  a  commission 
sent  down  to  appraise  the  territory.  The 
commission  was  composed  of  Col.  Topp- 
ing, who  commanded  the  regiment  taken 
out  by  Gen.  Grant  at  the  commencement 
of  the  war,  Capt.  Smith  of  the  same  regi- 
ment, and  Capt.  Wilkerson.  The  commis- 
sion was  engaged  in  this  business  for 
three  months,  during  which  time  I  piloted 
them  over  every  township,  creek  and  every 
important  point  west  of  the  92d  parallel 


THE  TKAIL  FROM  WICHITA.  141 

which  could  be  of  any  service  to  them  in 
forwarding  the  objects  of  their  journey. 

The  country  was  full  of  game,  and  our 
larder  was  always  filled  with  the  choicest 
haunch  of  venison  and  the  fattest  turkeys 
and  rabbits  which  ran  the  forest.  On  one 
occasion  we  killed  37  turkeys  in  one  even- 
ing. Deer  could  be  shot  almost  every  hour. 
My  experience  with  the  commission  and 
this  second  trip  as  a  guide  with  Lieut. 
Hyle  rendered  me  so  familiar  with  the  creeks 
and  hills  that  I  could  now  find  my  way 
through  the  Cherokee  country  as  readily  in 
the  dark  as  by  daylight.  There  is  scarcely 
a  square  mile  of  ground  in  that  section  on 
which  at  some  time  I  have  not  pressed  my 
own  or  my  horse's  feet. 

Having  established  a  trail  we  returned  to 
Wichita,  which  place  I  reached  in  March, 
glad  to  meet  my  old  comrades.  I  put  up  at 
the  Bichey  House,  kept  by  W.  A.  Kichey, 
one  of  the  most  energetic  and  pushing  citi- 
zens in  Wichita.  It  was  owing  in  a  great 
measure  to  his  influence  that  the  party  was 
sent  out  to  locate  the  new  trail.  Ever  since 
he  settled  in  Wichita  he  has  been  foremost 
in  contributing  his  time  and  means  to  any 
project  accruing  to  its  benefit.  Generous  to 
a  fault,  he  has  the  genuine  grit  and  push  of 


THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOTJT. 

the  successful  western  man,  and  every  enter- 
prise of  note  regarding  the  city  has  found 
his  name  connected  with  it  as  a  prominent 
promoter.  The  Captain  was  delighted  with 
the  big  haunch  of  venison  and  the  fat  turkeys 
I  brought ;  he  was  most  nobly  assisted  in  their 
digestion  by  that  royal  old  scout,  Dan  Parks, 
than  whom  a  nobler  specimen  of  manhood 
does  not  exist.  He  was  one  of  the  oldest 
and  best  scouts  on  the  plains,  but  becoming 
enamored  of  a  handsome  girl  he  married  and 
settled  down  to  a  quiet  life.  His  manly 
form  and  good-natured  face  may  be  seen 
daily  on  the  streets  at  Wichita,  where  he  has 
for  several  years  been  known  among  the 
most  reliable  of  its  police  force.  Everybody 
likes  him  and  it  makes  one  feel  good  to  see 
his  pleasant  face  and  hear  his  jovial  laugh. 
After  resting  awhile  under  Richey's  hos- 
pitable roof  I  went  to  Ford  county,  near 
Dodge  City,  and  took  charge  of  a  herd  of 
cattle  for  F.  C.  Horine  &  Co.,  and  started 
with  them  for  Douglas,  situated  on  Walnut 
river,  in  Butler  county.  They  had  employed 
me  on  account  of  my  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  country.  There  were  pretty  good  settle- 
ments all  along  the  route.  The  cattle  had 
been  dogged  away  from  the  corn  and  sor- 
ghum patches  in  Ford  and  Edward  counties 


THE  TRAIL  FKOM  WICHITA. 


and  the  herd  was  a  little  wild  when  they 
saw  a  dog  or  a  woman  ;  but  I  managed  to 
control  them  pretty  well  till  I  reached  Mar- 
shall, on  the  head  of  the  Nmisqua.  On 
reaching  that  town  I  rode  through  it  and 
asked  the  citizens  if  I  could  drive  the  herd 
through  the  village.  They  assented,  and  I 
requested  them  to  keep  the  dogs  indoors,  as 
the  cattle  were  very  wild  and  especially 
afraid  of  dogs.  This  they  promised  to  do 
and  I  started  to  drive  through.  But  the 
women  of  that  village,  like  all  others,  were  ex- 
tremely curious,  and  unable  to  restrain  their 
desire  to  get  a  look,  opened  the  doors,  when 
out  jumped  the  dogs,  and  a  scene  of  inde- 
scribable confusion,  excitement  and  devasta- 
tion ensued.  The  cattle  trampled  over  the 
vegetable  gardens,  tore  up  the  fences,  broke 
down  all  the  fine  young  cottonwood  shade 
trees  and  scared  the  women  nearly  out  of 
their  senses.  Having  finally  got  the  herd 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  town  (there  were 
four  houses  in  it)  I  dismounted  and  asked  the 
man  who  appeared  to  be  the  acting  mayor 
how  much  was  to  pay  for  the  damage  done. 
One  said  $15  and  another  $10.  I  gave  them  a 
check  for  the  amount  on  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Wichita.  The  bank  had  been  de- 
funct for  over  two  years,  and  I  did  not  con- 


144:  THE  OKLAHOMA   8OOITT. 

sider  my  check  was  for  too  large  a  sum,  but 
I  did  not  have  the  required  cheek  to  accept 
the  hospitalities  offered  me  and  I  caught  up 
with  the  herd  as  quickly  as  possible  and 
halted  not  till  I  had  the  cattle  beyond  the 
county  line.  Some  of  these  frontier  farmers 
are  not  so  green  as  they  appear,  and  I  was 
afraid  one  of  their  memories  might  be  re- 
freshed with  the  fact  that  that  check  would 
not  bring  quite  $25  at  Wichita.  I  delivered 
the  cattle  on  the  Walnut,  where  they 
were  to  be  stall-fed  for  market,  and  remained 
on  their  farm  a  portion  of  the  winter.  In 
the  spring  I  concluded  to  try  my  luck  on 
wild  horses. 


CHAPTEK 

DEIVING   WILD   HOESES. 

For  this  purpose  I  came  to  Caldwell  and 
obtained  a  herd  of  287  wild  horses,  which  I 
drove  over  the  state  of  Kansas,  selling  at 
points  where  there  was  any  demand,  dispos- 
ing of  many  at  Wichita. 

"Wild  horses  are  a  peculiar  animal  to  hande, 
and  a  greenhorn  had  better  let  them  alone. 
Those,  too,  who  have  never  seen  nor  handled  a 
herd  can  form  little  idea  of  the  trouble  and 
care  required  to  master  them.  They  are 
never  handled  except  as  colts,  when  they  are 
branded,  and  are  unacquainted  with  rope  or 
bridle  until  they  are  driven  up  to  be  broken. 
When  that  time  comes  the  owner  of  the  herd 
rounds  them  up,  takes  out  the  four  and  five 
year  olds  for  breaking.  Then  he  puts  a  boy 
with  them  for  a  day  or  two,  after  which  they 
herd  themselves.  When  they  stampede,  as 
they  are  likely  to  do  at  any  slight  scare,  the 
most  unruly  ones  are  roped  and  "  kneed." 
The  kneeing  process  consists  in  cutting  the 
cord  that  sets  the  foot  forward.  This  of 
course  only  applies  to  stock  horses  on  the 

145 


THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

range.  This  prevents  them  from  running, 
but  they  can  trot.  Another  method  is  to  tie 
a  block  of  wood  to  their  foretop,  which 
pounds  them  in  the  face  when  they  run. 
The  Spanish  method,  resorted  to  by  Texans, 
is  to  put  a  forked  stick  over  their  forefoot. 
The  last  method  is  effectual;  but  it  is  a 
cruel  one,  especially  in  Texas,  where  the  flies 
are  bad.  They  gather  on  the  wound,  biting 
the  horses,  and  causing  the  sore  to  fester, 
which  makes  the  horses  footsore,  and  some- 
times they  have  to  be  killed  when  the 
wounds  do  not  heal  or  mortify. 

"When  a  herd  of  horses  is  to  be  driven  they 
are  handled  similar  to  a  herd  of  cattle.  They 
are  not  rounded  up  at  night,  but  are  allowed 
to  scatter  out  in  the  afternoon,  and  in  the 
morning  all  hands  are  in  the  saddle  to  make 
the  round  up  for  the  day's  drive.  It  is  a  hard 
life,  and  the  boys  must  be  skillful  riders  to 
accomplish  the  work  required  of  them.  One 
meal  a  day  is  often  all  they  receive,  and  they 
are  constantly  in  the  saddle  from  daylight  till 
sundown.  Sometimes  they  will  stampede 
and  scatter  so  far  in  an  hour's  time  as  to  take 
all  day  to  close  them  up  again.  They  are  just 
about  as  bad  to  muster  as  a  routed  army 
which  has  been  chased  all  day,  and  a  great 
deal  worse,  for  they  don't  answer  to  their 


DRIVING   WILD   HORSES.  147 

names  when  called.  Frequently  during  the 
day  they  will  start  on  a  run,  and  the  herder 
will  race  his  horse  at  full  speed  for  miles  be- 
fore he  can  overtake  and  turn  the  leading 
horse.  A  good  herder  must  be  well  acquainted 
with  the  country  and  understand  a  wild 
horse's  peculiarities,  or  he  will  soon  throw  up 
in  despair.  They  are  easily  lost  unless  tend- 
ed by  a  skillful  man,  and  the  Indians  are  con- 
stantly on  the  lookout  for  stray  animals, 
which  they  steal  when  they  have  an  oppor- 
tunity. When  horses  are  found  in  their 
posession  they  demand  $5  each  for  them. 

During  the  spring  of  1876  I  received  from 
the  Indian  agent  power  of  attorney  to  collect, 
sell,  and  otherwise  dispose  of  all  horses, 
ponies  and  mules  that  are  found  in  the  states 
of  Texas,  Kansas  and  New  Mexico. 

So  many  horses  were  being  stolen  from  the 
Indians  that  it  was  considered  necessary  to 
place  an  officer  on  their  track.  I  traced  a 
herd  to  Buffalo  Station,  on  the  Kansas  Pa- 
cific railroad,  about  sixty  miles  from  Dodge 
City,  where  the  thieves  were  arrested,  and  I 
recovered  eighty-one  of  the  ponies,  took 
them  to  Hays  City,  where  a  large  number  of 
them  got  loose  and  wandered  off,  and  three 
of  the  five  thieves  broke  jail  and  made  good 
their  escape.  In  another  place  I  have  men- 


148  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

tioned  the  fact  that  I  made  a  trip  up  the 
Canadian  river  in  search  of  stolen  ponies 
with  the  L.  X.  outfit,  the  sale  of  a  large 
number  of  which  was  prevented  by  my  op- 
portune appearance  in  that  section. 

During  the  same  season  a  large  number  of 
horses  were  run  off  into  New  Mexico  and  up 
the  south  Canadian  river.  Being  instructed 
to  glean  all  the  information  possible  regard- 
ing the  stolen  horses,  I  concluded  to  make  a 
personal  trip  into  that  territory  and  ascertain 
who  were  the  thieves  and  how  they  had  dis- 
posed of  the  horses.  As  it  was  too  risky  to 
be  known  as  a  government  agent  I  traveled 
with  a  freighter,  thus  allaying  all  suspicion 
as  to  my  real  purpose.  Reaching  the  ranch 
of  Bates  &  Beal,  about  forty  miles  below 
Tuscosa,  I  was  kindly  received  by  them,  and 
as  W.  M.  Moore,  the  foreman  of  the  ranch, 
was  just  stocking  a  large  outfit  for  a  round- 
up up  the  river  as  far  as  Bascom,  I  accepted 
his  kind  offer  to  make  one  of  the  party. 
He  furnished  me  with  a  horse  and  I, ex- 
perienced no  trouble  in  reaching  the  little 
Mexican  town  of  Tuscosa,  built  of  adobe  and 
containing  one  store,  which  supplied  wet  and 
dry  goods  —  especially  the  latter  —  to  all  the 
inhabitants.  While  here  I  visited  the  ranch 
of  a  Mexican  named  Komaldo  Vaoa,  about 


DRIVING   WILD   HORSES.  149 

thirty  miles  up  the  river.  Here  I  ascertained 
that  some  of  the  stolen  stock  had  been 
marketed  and  sold  in  small  lots  to  various 
parties.  There  were  too  many  Mexicans 
there,  however,  to  make  myself  known,  and 
I  returned  to  Tuscosa,  where  I  joined  a  herd 
going  to  Dodge  City,  which  point  I  reached 
without  incident,  but  glad  to  get  out  of  JSTew 
Mexico  with  a  sound  skin,  for  I  was  fre- 
quently viewed  with  great  suspicion  by  the 
Mexicans.  At  Dodge  City  I  found  a  few  of 
the  stolen  animals  and  stopped  their  sale. 

The  same  summer  I  was  engaged  in  tracing 
lost  cattle  through  the  Indian  Territory  for 
J.  H.  Stevens.  He  has  been  a  constant 
driver  for  over  twenty  years,  and  he  has  filled 
large  government  contracts.  He  is  an  agree- 
able, pleasant  gentleman,  with  sound  practi- 
cal business  sense,  and  has  become  a  wealthy 
and  influential  citizen  in  Texas. 


OHAPTEE  XYIII. 

D.     W.     LIFE    TREASURER    OF    THE    CHEROKEE 
NATION. 

In  1882  a  commission  was  sent  out  by  the 
Cherokee  government  of  Tahlequah  consisting 
of  D.  W.  Lipe,  treasurer  of  the  Cherokee  out- 
let, John  Schrympsher;  George  Saunders  and 
Major  Brewer,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
the  tax  due  that  nation  for  herds  grazing  on 
the  Cherokee  reservation.  The  commission, 
on  account  of  my  knowledge  of  the  location 
of  all  the  herds,  as  well  as  of  my  acquaint- 
ance with  the  owners,  employed  me  to  col- 
lect the  taxes.  It  was  a  new  occupation  to 
me,  or  at  least  nearly  so,  for  I  had  had  a  little 
experience  in  this  line  helping  Gov.  Brown- 
low  to  collect  the  state  revenue  in  Tennesee 
during  the  war.  I  was  kept  very  busy.  I 
was  engaged  in  the  business  two  years,  and 
was  constantly  on  horseback  during  the  time, 
visiting  personally  all  the  herds  that  crossed 
or  entered  the  outlet.  I  found  the  pursuit, 
nevertheless,  both  agreeable  and  profitable, 
and  only  gave  it  up  because  more  important 
business  called  me  elsewhere.  Mr.  Lipe  was 
150 


D.   W.    LIFE. 


a  splendid  specimen  of  manhood.  He  was 
finely  educated  and  his  manners  and  address 
were  those  of  a  cultivated  gentleman.  My 
dealings  with  him  were  altogether  satisfac- 
tory. Indeed,  from  all  the  Cherokee  officers 
I  received  constant  and  courteous  attention. 
They  are  a  manly  set  of  fellows  and  know 
how  to  treat  a  man  white  every  time, 


CHAPTEK  XIX. 

TRIP    TO    TUSCOSA HOW    A    KANSAS     BKAGGER 

WAS   SOLD. 

In  the  fall  of  1882  I  took  eight  teams 
loaded  with  merchandise  from  W.  N.  Hub- 
bell  &  Co.  to  be  delivered  to  Bates  &  Beal,  or 
at  the  L.  X.  ranch.  A  portion  of  the  goods 
were  to  be  delivered  at  Torres'  ranch,  about 
forty  miles  above  the  L.  X.  ranch  and  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Tuscoso,  on  the  Canadian 
river.  The  route  lay  in  a  straight  course 
through  a  country  having  no  trail.  I  had  been 
over  the  route  before  and  was  the  best  ac- 
quainted with  it  of  any  person  in  the  party. 
We  started  early  in  the  morning  and  that 
night  camped  on  Hall  creek,  where  we  were 
joined  by  Harry  Derrick,one  of  Bates  &BeaFs 
head  men,  with  his  men.  He  said  this  was  the 
last  trip  he  intended  to  make.  He  would 
bring  out  one  more  herd,  he  said,  before  cold 
weather  set  in,  and  winter  or  ship  them  at 
Caldwell.  The  men  who  owned  the  teams 
were  a  stubborn  lot,  and  as  they  were  paid  by 
the  hundred  they  would  only  drive  about 
twelve  miles  per  day,  while  they  fed  their 
horses  not  only  all  they  could  eat,  but  wasted 

152 


TRIP   TO  TU8COSA.  153 

the  grain  in  a  careless  manner.  I  remonstrated 
with  them,  and.  told  them  if  they  were  not 
more  careful  they  would  find  themselves 
short  long  before  the  end  of  the  trip,  and  in  a 
country  where  there  was  no  grain  nor  fodder 
to  be  had  for  love  or  money.  But  my  pro- 
tests were  of  no  avail.  But  their  stubborn 
cussedness  soon  met  its  own  reward. 

"When  we  reached  Eagle  Chief  we  were 
overtaken  by  a  blizzard,  followed  by  a  snow- 
storm, which  lay  several  inches  deep  on  the 
ground,  which  was  not  visible  again  for 
weeks.  The  grain  gave  out  before  the  jour- 
ney was  half  accomplished.  The  horses  be- 
came too  weak  to  haul  their  loads,  and  the 
men  growled  and  swore.  Finally  a  portion 
of  them  threw  their  loads  off  and  stored 
them  in  Day's  empty  storehouse  and  started 
back  home,  while  others  became  desperate 
and  did  not  attend  to  their  horses.  How- 
ever, notwithstanding  all  these  drawbacks, 
we  struggled  on  till  we  had  passed  the  Adobe 
Walls,  a  point  which  will  remain  memorable 
in  the  annals  of  the  Kansas  border  as  the 
spot  where  the  buffalo  hunters  gave  the 
Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes  such  a  sound 
thrashing  that  they  have  never  forgotten  it. 
To  say  Adobe  Walls  to  one  of  them  will 
arouse  his  anger  to  this  day. 

n 


THE  OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

We  had  just  gone  into  camp  at  Adobe 
"Walls  canon  when  there  arose  the  most  ter- 
rific blizzard  and  snowstorm  that  I  ever  saw, 
and  I  have  been  out  in  a  great  many.  We 
drew  the  wagons  close  up  to  the  edge  of  the 
canon,  then  took  our  teams  and  mess  chests 
down  to  the  bottom,  where  we  soon  had  a 
fire  started,  and  set  about  preparing  our 
supper.  Before  we  had  brought  enough 
water  to  quench  the  thirst  of  our  stock,  the 
snow  began  piling  up  in  the  canon.  Before 
we  had  finished  our  supper  the  horses,  hitched 
close  to  our  camp,  were  up  to  their  haunches 
in  the  snow,  and  the  drifits  still  piling  and  fill- 
ing up  the  canon.  It  was  so  cold  that  we 
all  expected  to  perish  before  morning,  as  our 
stock  of  fuel  was  very  meager.  A  man 
named  Serby  jumped  up,  and  standing  by 
the  fire  began  reckoning  our  chances,  say- 
ing he  was  certain  the  stock  would  be  all 
frozen  by  morning  and  that  the  prospects 
were  we  should  all  freeze.  It  was  so  cold 
that  while  he  was  talking  he  burned  the  back 
of  his  boots  so  badly  that  they  fell  to  pieces 
the  next  morning,  although  he  was  insensible 
to  the  heat.  But  the  morning  at  last  came 
to  our  relief,  and  we  were  overjoyed  to  find 
ourselves  and  stock  all  alive.  We  managed 
with  great  difficulty  to  hitch  up  our  teams 


TRIP   TO   TUSCOSA.  155 

and  make  a  start,  as  we  knew  it  to  be  almost 
certain  death  to  remain  where  we  were.  It 
soon  began  to  snow  again,  and  all  around  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach  was  one  great 
white  sea.  We  were  like  a  ship  on  a  dark 
night  without  a  compass.  The  only  guide 
we  had  was  an  occasional  distant  break  of 
the  river,  but  we  managed  to  reach  a  camp- 
ing place,  where  we  killed  two  wild  turkeys 
which  made  a  feast  for  us,  our  provisions 
being  almost  exhausted.  The  next  day  we 
reached  Bugby's  ranch,  which  to  our  grief 
we  found  deserted.  The  remainder  of  the 
other  party  which  had  accompanied  us  here 
left  to  go  to  the  LX  ranch,  while  I  pushed 
on  to  Tuscosa.  Before  entering  this  little 
town  I  came  to  a  little  draw  not  more  than 
300  feet  across.  I  found  it  so  filled  with  snow 
that  I  was  compelled  to  go  around  it. 

"When  I  finally  gained  access  to  this  insig- 
nificant Mexican  town  it  was  late  at  night. 
After  a  long  search  I  found  the  merchant  to 
whom  my  freight  was  consigned,  who  gave 
his  consent  to  have  the  goods  unloaded  on 
the  side  of  the  river  where  I  had  left  my 
team,  as  the  ice  was  so  thick  in  the  stream 
that  it  would  have  taken  me  several  days  to 
cut  a  passage  at  the  ford.  The  plaza  was 
dark  and  deserted,  almost  the  entire  popular 


THE   OKLAHOMA  SOOtTT. 

tion  having  gone  to  a  fandango,  about  a 
mile  down  the  river,  at  the  house  of  the 
Alcalde  or  Heal,  which,  translated  into  good 
Saxon,  means  the  boss  of  the  town.  I  finally 
obtained  shelter  for  my  teams  and  some  sup- 
per for  myself,  and  glad  enough  I  then  was 
to  accept  a  bed  in  the  store,  for  I  was  thor- 
oughly exhausted  with  fatigue  and  exposure. 
Having  delivered  my  freight,  I  rested  my 
horses  for  a  few  days,  and  having  recuper- 
ated myself  on  tortillas,  muscal  and  the 
black  eyes  of  the  lovely  senoritas,  returned 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  where  I  had 
unloaded  a  portion  of  the  merchandise,  re- 
loaded it,  and  after  another  cold  and  disa- 
greeable journey  found  myself  again  in 
Tuscosa. 

I  had  just  deposited  my  second  load  of 
freight  at  its  destination  when  in  my  strolls 
around  the  village  I  encountered  a  man  who 
had  just  come  in  from  Medicine  Lodge  creek. 
His  equal  for  lying  and  braggadocio  it  would 
be  difficult  to  find  even  in  Nebraska.  He 
seemed  to  take  immense  gratification  in 
maligning  Caldwell  and  everything  pertain- 
ing to  it,  and  I  determined  to  clip  his  feath- 
ers for  him  at  the  first  opportunity,  which 
soon  arrived.  He  began  to  boast  about  his 
horse,  his  natural  brag  and  a  little  tangle- 


TKIP  TO  TUSCOSA.  157 

foot  representing  the  animal  as  the  fastest 
west  of  St.  Louis.  After  listening  to  his 
Munchausen  tales  till  I  was  pretty  well 
disgusted  I  thought  a  good  opportunity  had 
presented  itself  to  begin  the  clipping  process 
and  give  him  a  good  currying  down.  I 
offered  to  run  my  horse  against  his  for 
"  drinks  for  the  crowd  " — not  a  trifling  bet, 
for  though  the  rot-gut  called  whisky  which 
was  retailed  in  Tuscosa  would  unsolder  a 
canteen  in  a  half-mile  run  in  the  sun,  it  was 
twenty-five  cents  a  thimbleful,  and  there 
were  about  150  Mexicans  in  the  crowd. 
He  was  too  high  strung  to  be  bluffed  by  a 
mere  freighter,  so  he  accepted  the  challenge 
and  the  race  was  run,  his  horse  winning  by 
several  lengths.  I  called  up  the  crowd,  paid 
for  the  tanglefoot,  which  cost  me  three  or 
four  eagles,  and  after  giving  him  a  fair  chance 
to  blew  his  horn  I  offered  to  race  him  again 
for  all  the  money  he  had.  He  produced 
$180,  which  he  said  he  would  bet,  together 
with  three  head  of  cattle.  I  accepted  the 
bet,  and  not  having  that  much  money,  I 
went  to  the  Mexican  who  had  given  the  fan- 
dango on  my  first  arrival — Eomero — to  bor- 
row it.  He  had  witnessed  the  first  race  and 
when  I  stated  what  was  needed  he  told  me 
I  could  have  anything  I  wanted. 


THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

Said  he :  "  Bet  all  the  money  and  all  the 
stock  you  can  raise,  and  keep  on  raising  him 
as  long  as  he  can  find  a  friend  to  back  him. 
I  saw  your  first  race,  and  besides  I  know 
that  smooth  little  cario  of  yours.  I  saw  you 
hold  him  in  the  first  race,  and  suspected  your 
object.  He  will  feel  mighty  bad  after  this 
race."  The  money — $180 — and  three  head 
of  cattle  were  staked  on  either  side  and  the 
race  began.  The  Medicine  Lodge  creek 
horse  hadn't  a  ghost  of  a  chance,  and  my 
horse  won  easily.  But  he  was  the  most 
crestfallen  man  Tuscosa  had  within  her 
limits  for  many  a  long  day  after-  He  was 
taught  a  good  lesson  while  I  had  replenished 
my  purse  sufficiently  to  last  me  all  winter 
and  bring  my  outfit  back  to  Caldwell — and 
it  was  a  sorry-looking  outfit,  too. 


CHAPTEK  XX. 

SKETCH   OF   CALDWELL. 

Caldwell,  in  Sumner  county,  and  situated 
right  near  the  border  of  the  Indian  Territory, 
is  to-day  one  of  the  liveliest  towns  in  Kansas. 
It  is  the  legitimate  successor  to  Abilene  and 
Wichita  as  the  headquarters  of  the  cattle 
drive  from  Texas.  The  cowboy  feature  has 
predominated  until  within  the  past  few 
years,  but  matters  are  much  changed  and 
Caldwell,  with  more  than  two  thousand  in- 
habitants, and  with  a  business  much  larger 
in  proportion  than  the  population,  is  to- 
day on  the  high  road  to  commercial 
supremacy. 

My  first  experience  with  Caldwell  was  in 
1870,  on  a  trip  to  the  territory  in  search  of 
cattle.  At  this  time  Capt.  Stone  kept  the 
only  store  in  town  and  furnished  the  Texas 
cattle  trail  with  groceries,  wet  and  dry.  Capt. 
Stone  still  has  property  in  Caldwell,  but 
now  resides  in  Kansas  City.  I  was  there 
from  time  to  time  while  on  my  expeditions 
until  the  year  1880,  when  I  made  it  my  home, 
or  rather  headquarters.  This  was  the  year 
159 


160  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

of  the  advent  of  the  railroad  as  well  as  of  a 
city  charter,  mayor,  council,  marshal  and 
cooler.  Then  she  began  to  grow  only  as 
western  towns  grow,  and  with  her  prosperity 
came  the  "  free  and  easy,"  the  varieties,  a 
brick  hotel,  bank  and  opera  house,  and  also 
the  old  red  light. 

For  a  year  or  two  after  the  advent  of  the 
railroad  the  city  was  a  pretty  tough  place 
for  a  peaceable  citizen  to  live  in,  but  the  law 
of  the  survival  of  the  fittest  was  not  broken 
in  the  case  of  Caldwell,  and  the  red  light, 
variety  theater,  bawdy  house,  gave  way  to 
the  home,  the  school  and  the  chapel. 

A  good  many  deeds  of  violence  linger  as 
reminiscences  among  the  people,  and  even  yet 
there  is  an  occasional  outbreak  to  remind 
the  older  citizens  of  the  good  (?)  old  days, 
but  as  before  stated  the  "  cowboy "  regime 
has  ended. 

As  Wichita,  Emporia  and  Newton  did 
with  her,  Caldwell  has  given  up  her  most 
reckless  citizens  to  make  up  a  little  band  of 
rustlers,  horse  thieves  and  hard  characters  to 
populate  some  other  town. 

During  the  season  of  1885  2,300  cars  of 
beef  cattle  had  been  shipped  to  northern 
and  eastern  markets,  aggregating  at  least 
$5^000  head.  Besides,  the  shipments  of 


SKETCH   OP  CALDWELL.  161 

horses,  hogs  and  general  farm  produce  have 
been  very  large. 

Caldwell  is  the  supply  point  for  a  large 
section  of  the  Indian  Territory.  Millions  of 
pounds  of  freight  are  transferred  annually 
from  the  railroads  at  this  point  by  wagons  to 
various  posts  and  Indian  agencies.  Among 
the  men  identified  with  the  origin  and  build- 
ing of  Caldwell  I  have  already  mentioned 
Capt.  Stone.  He  now  owns  one  of  the 
largest  cattle  ranches  in  the  Cherokee  strip. 

"Witzlaben  and  Keys  now  keep  on  Main 
street,  opposite  the  Leland  Hotel,  the  largest 
stock  of  drovers'  supplies  and  clothing  in  the 
city,  and  is  the  oldest  firm  in  that  business. 

Harvey  Horner  is  the  leading  chemist  and 
druggist.  He  married  in  "Wichita,  Kansas, 
in  1878,  went  to  Caldwell  and  embarked  in 
the  drug  business  in  1879,  the  principal  stock 
in  trade  being  "freight  bills  and  cheek." 
His  business  as  a  natural  consequence  grew 
from  the  very  beginning,  from  the  opening 
of  goods — not  doors,  as  he  had  none.  In 
after  years  credit  enlarged,  and  he  put  in  a 
full  and  complete  stock  of  watches  and 
jewelry,  and  employed  a  good  watchmaker. 
He  then  enlarged  his  drug  store,  paid  up  his 
bills  and  increased  his  stock.  His  business 
increased  so  rapidly  that  it  necessitated  the 


162  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOTJT. 

employment  of  four  drug  clerks  and  sales- 
men to  conduct  his  trade.  While  Harvey 
Horner  is  a  thorough  business  man  he  is  yet 
humorously  inclined,  and  shows  off  to  good 
advantage  among  his  companions.  Being 
of  such  a  congenial,  social  nature,  like  the 
magnet,  he  naturally  draws  about  him  a  host 
of  admiring  friends.  His  drug  and  jewelry 
trade  now  amounts  to  more  than  thirty-five 
thousand  dollars  a  year. 

I  became  acquainted  with  Horner  in 
"Wichita  in  1872,  during  the  days  of  that 
city's  preeminence  in  the  cattle  trade.  In 
1880  he  was  elected  city  clerk  of  Caldwell, 
and  being  aware  of  my  extensive  acquaint- 
ance with  cattle  men  he  induced  the  city 
authorities  to  employ  me  to  solicit  owners  of 
herds  to  drive  them  to  Caldwell  for  shipment 
in  preference  to  other  places.  I  undertook 
the  employment,  and  in  company  with  Hugh 
Charless  visited  nearly  all  the  herds  which 
were  on  the  trail  that  season,  and  succeeded 
in  turning  many  of  them  to  Caldwell.  On 
my  way  back  from  the  panhandle  of  Texas 
I  brought  through  a  herd  for  John  Powers, 
of  Falls  county,  Texas.  I  had  some  trouble 
with  the  Cheyenne  Indians.  The  somewhat 
celebrated  chief,  Stone  Calf,  since  dead, 
stopped  the  herd,  and  said  if  I  did  not  give 


SKETCH   OF   CALDWELL.  163 

him  twenty-five  head  of  cattle  he  would  go 
and  get  his  young  men  and  scatter  the  herd 
in  the  bush.  I  told  him  if  he  did  so  he  had 
better  bring  a  spade  with  him,  as  he  would 
be  ready  to  bury,  and  we  didn't  have  any. 
He  said  he  would  bring  soldiers  with  him. 
I  told  him  I  didn't  care,  for  I  would  shoot 
him  if  he  had  a  soldier  on  each  side  of  him. 
We  were  then  in  the  Cheyenne  country  on 
the  north  fork  of  the  Canadian.  Stone  Calf 
did  not  molest  us,  but  Powers  and  I  watched 
all  night,  and  the  next  day  we  moved  the 
cattle  back  on  to  the  Cherokee  strip.  I  had 
previously  met  Powers  in  Abilene,  he  having 
been  among  the  first  drovers  to  drive  cattle 
to  that  point.  He  is  one  of  those  substan- 
tial, matter-of-fact,  every-day  kind  of  men 
that  you  feel  instinctively  will  do  to  tie  to, 
and  when  you  look  into  his  frank,  open 
countenance,  a  .sense  of  his  straightforward 
manner  of  life  and  business  integrity  im- 
presses you.  You  feel  that  in  him  there  is  a 
true,  big-hearted  man  who  could  have  no 
pleasure  in  a  mean,  dishonorable  transaction, 
and  upon  whom  you  can  rely  with  safety. 

By  1882  Caldwell  had  become  a  great 
cattle  shipping  point.  -  During  that  year  the 
firm  of  Hewins,  Hamilton  &  Titus  shipped 
from  there  by  rail  275,000  head  of  cattle. 


164  THE   OKLAHOMA   SGOtTT. 

This  firm  now  owns  the  largest  stock  raaoh 
in  the  Cherokee  strip,  close  to  Brodrick  & 
Dean,  who  own  another  very  extensive 
ranch  called  the  "  Two  Bar "  ranch.  James 
Hamilton,  of  the  first-mentioned  firm,  is  now 
mayor  of  Wellington,  Sumner  county. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SOUTHERN    AND    WESTERN   CATTLE   TRADE. 

Since  the  close  of  the  war  the  business  of 
cattle  driving  from  the  vast  plains  of  Texas 
and  the  western  territories  has  assumed  such 
proportions  as  to  cause  it  to  take  rank 
among  the  leading  industries  of  the  country. 
The  "  Texas  cattle  boom  "  will  ever  remain 
a  unique  and  interesting  chapter  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  southwestern  country.  Every 
occupation  develops  peculiar  characteristics 
in  those  who  habitually  pursue  it.  This  is 
emphatically  so  with  the  class  of  men  who 
have  long  been  subjected  to  the  surround- 
ings and  the  habits  of  life  entailed  upon 
those  who  have  been  identified  with  the  cat- 
tle trade  in  its  various  branches.  Phases  of 
character  have  been  developed  which  will 
pass  away  with  the  decadence  of  the  busi- 
ness, which  must  sooner  or  later  result  from 
the  settlement  of  the  territory  now  devoted 
to  grazing,  which  are  deserving  to  perpetu- 
ation for  the  use  of  future  novel  writers  if 
nothing  else.  The  drovers  or  ranch  owners, 
among  business  men,  are  a  distinctly  individu- 

165 


166  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

alized  class.  You  know  them  wherever  you 
see  them,  whether  in  town  or  country.  They 
are  bold,  out  spoken  and  open-hearted,  yet 
possibly  a  little  inclined  to  be  clannish.  But 
taken  as  a  body  no  more  reliable  men  in  a 
business  point  of  view,  no  men  more  ready 
to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  each  other  in  a 
financial  pinch,  no  men  more  ready  to  aid  a 
poor  man  struggling  with  adversity,  are  to 
be  found  on  our  broad  continent.  I  speak 
warmly,  for  I  have  been  among  them  for 
years,  know  many  of  them  intimately,  and 
my  judgment  is  based  upon  personal  knowl- 
edge. I  will  make  mention  of  a  few  who 
have  peculiar  claims  upon  my  gratitude, 
although  I  know  there  are  many  others 
equally  deserving. 

Louis  Kurtz,  of  the  firm  of  Fish,  Kecht  & 
Co.,  of  Kansas  City,  will,  I  hope,  excuse  me 
for  talking  to  the  public  a  little  about  him. 
He  is  only  about  forty  years  old,  but  has  been 
pretty  much  over  the  world.  Both  his  name 
and  brogue  give  him  away — he  is  a  Teuton 
of  a  pronounced  type.  But  a  livelier,  more  go- 
ahead  and  never-give-up  Dutchman  is  not  to 
be  found  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific. 
He  is  generous  to  a  fault,  always  ready  to 
have  fun,  but  with  a  keen  eye  to  business  all 
the  while.  He  is  one  of  the  men  of  whom 


CATTLE  TRADE.  167 

it  can  be  truthfully  said  he  never  deserted  a 
friend.  All  his  business  transactions  are 
conducted  upon  the  highest  principles  of 
honor.  Wherever  he  is  known  Louis  Kurtz's 
word  is  as  good  as  his  bond.  He  is  known 
in  every  frontier  town  of  any  cattle-shipping 
importance,  and  wherever  known  is  liked. 

Harry  Hill,  of  the  same  firm,  holds  an  im- 
portant place  in  my  esteem.  Also  Major 
Maderia,  who  is  now  bookkeeper  for  Hewins 
&  Titus  on  the  ranch  in  the  Cherokee  strip. 
I  am  under  obligations  to  Will  Maderia  for 
many  favors  of  various  kinds.  While  on  gov- 
ernment business  I  made  this  ranch  one  of 
my  stopping  places,  and  was  always  treated 
with  the  heartiest  kindness.  They  often 
loaned  me  fresh  horses  to  enable  me  to  get 
through  in  time  with  my  dispatches. 

The  Blair  Brothers,  ranch  owners  in  the 
Cherokee  strip,  Marion  and  John,  are  first- 
class  men  in  every  respect.  They  own  large 
herds.  John  Blair  is  now  secretary  of  the 
Live  Stock  Association  of  the  Cherokee 
strip. 

The  men  I  have  mentioned  represent  the 
money  in  the  cattle  trade.  The  class  that 
represent  the  labor,  or  at  least  an  important 
branch,  are  the  cowboys.  I  know  of  no 
more  lifelike  description  of  this  remarkable 


168  THE  OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

specimen  of  the  genus  homo  than  is  contained 
in  Joseph  G.  McCoy's  "  Historic  Sketches  of 
the  Cattle  Trade,"  and  take  the  liberty  of 
inserting  it  here : 

"  When  the  herd  is  sold  and  delivered  to 
the  purchaser  a  day  of  rejoicing  to  the  cow- 
boy has  come,  for  then  he  can  go  free  and 
have  a  jolly  time — and  it  is  a  jolly  time  they 
have.  Straightway  after  settling  with  their 
employers  the  barber  shop  is  visited  and 
from  three  to  six  weeks'  growth  of  hair  is 
shorn  off,  their  long-grown,  sun-burnt  beard 
'set'  in  due  shape  and  properly  blacked. 
Next  a  clothing  store  of  the  Israelitish  style 
is  'gone  through,'  and  the  cowboy  emerges 
a  new  man  in  outward  appearance,  every- 
thing being  new,  not  excepting  the  hats  and 
boots,  with  star  decorations  about  the  tops, 
also  a  new — well,  in  short,  every  thing  new. 
Then  for  fun  and  frolic.  The  bar-room,  the 
theater,  the  gambling  room,  the  bawdy  house, 
the  dance  house,  each  and  all  come  in  for 
their  full  share  of  attention.  In  any  of 
these  places  an  affront  fancied,  or  a  slight, 
real  or  imaginary,  is  cause  sufficient  for  him 
to  unlimber  one  or  more  i  mountain  howitz- 
ers,' invariably  found  strapped  to  his  person, 
and  proceed  to  deal  out  death  in  unbroken 
doses  to  such  as  may  be  in  range  of  his  pis- 


a 


CATTLE   TRADE.  169 

tols.  Whether  real  friends  or  enemies,  no 
matter,  his  anger  and  bad  whisky  urge  him 
on  to  deeds  of  blood  and  death.  At  frontier 
towns,  where  many  cattle  are  driven,  as  a 
natural  result  considerable  business  is  trans- 
acted and  many  strangers  congregate.  Here 
are  always  to  be  found  a  number  of  charac- 
ters, both  male  and  female,  of  the  very  worst 
class  in  the  universe,  such  as  have  ceased  to 
feel  the  last  sting  of  shame — men  who  live  a 
soulless,  aimless  life,  dependent  upon  the 
turn  of  a  card  for  the  means  of  living.  They 
wear  out  a  purposeless  life,  ever  looking 
blear-eyed  and  dissipated ;  to  whom  life,  from 
various  causes,  has  long  since  become  worse 
than  a  total  blank ;  being  in  the  form  of 
man,  whose  outward  appearance  would  be- 
token gentlemen,  but  whose  heart-strings 
are  but  a  wisp  of  base-sounding  chords,  upon 
which  the  touch  of  a  higher,  purer-  life  has 
long  since  ceased  to  be  felt  —  beings  without 
whom  the  world  would  be  better,  richer  and 
more  desirable.  And  with  them  are  always 
found  their  counterparts  of  the  other  sex, 
those  who  have  fallen  low,  alas !  how  low ! 
They,  too,  are  found  in  the  frontier  cattle 
towns,  and  that  institution  known  in  the  West 
as  the  dance  house  is  there  found  also. 
When  the  darkness  of  night  is  come  to 


170  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOtTT. 

shroud  their  orgies  from  public  gaze  these 
miserable  beings  gather  into  the  halls  of  the 
dance  house  and  trip  the  fantastic  toe  to 
wretched  music,  ground  out  of  dilapidated 
instruments  by  beings  fully  as  degraded  as 
the  most  vile.  In  this  vortex  of  dissipation 
the  average  cowboy  plunges  with  great  de- 
light. Few  more  wild  and  reckless  scenes  of 
abandoned  depravity  can  be  seen  on  the  civ- 
ilized earth  than  a  dance  house  in  full  blast 
in  one  of  the  many  frontier  towns.  To  say 
they  dance  wildly  or  in  an  abandoned  man- 
ner is  putting  it  mild.  Their  manner  of 
practicing  the  terpsichorean  art  would  put 
the  French  can-can  to  shame. 

"  The  cowboy  enters  the  dance  with  a  pe- 
culiar zest,  not  stopping  to  divest  himself  of 
his  sombrero,  spurs  or  pistols,  but  just  as 
he  dismounts  off  of  his  cow-pony  so  he  goes 
into  the  dance.  A  more  odd,  not  to  say 
comical,  sight  is  not  often  seen  than  the 
dancing  cowboy.  With  the  front  of  his  som- 
brero lifted  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees, 
his  huge  spurs  jingling  at  every  step  or  mo- 
tion, his  revolvers  flapping  up  and  down  like 
a  retreating  sheep's  tail,  his  eyes  lit  up  with 
excitement,  liquor  and  lust,  he  plunges  in 
and  '  hoes  it  down '  at  a  terrible  rate,  in  the 
most  approved  awkward  country  style,  often 


CATTLE  TRADE.  171 

swinging  '  his  partner '  clear  off  the  floor  for 
an  entire  circle,  then  balance  all,  with  an  oc- 
casional demoniacal  yell,  near  akin  to  the 
war  whoop  of  the  savage  Indian.  All  this  he 
does  entirely  oblivious  to  the  whole  world 
and  the  '  balance  of  mankind.'  After  danc- 
ing furiously,  the  entire  '  set '  is  called  to  the 
bar,  where  the  boy  is  required  to  treat  his 
partner,  and,  of  course,  kimself  also,  which 
he  does  not  hesitate  to  do  time  and  again, 
although  it  costs  him  fifty  cents  each  time. 
Yet  if  it  cost  ten  times  that  amount  he 
would  not  hesitate,  for  the  more  he  dances 
and  drinks,  the  less  common  sense  he  will 
have,  and  the  more  completely  his  animal 
passions  will  control  him.  Such  is  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  cowboy  spends  his  hard 
earned  dollars.  And  such  is  the  entertain- 
ment that  many  young  men  from  the  north 
and  south,  of  superior  parentage  and  youth- 
ful advantages  in  life,  give  themselves  up  to, 
and  often  their  lives  are  made  to  pay  the 
forfeit  of  their  sinful  foolishness. 

"  After  a  few  days  of  frolic  and  debauch- 
ery, the  cowboy  is  ready,  in  company  with 
his  comrades,  to  start  back  to  Texas,  often 
not  having  one  dollar  left  of  his  summer 
wages." 

The  foregoing  is  a  graphic,  and,  in  most 


172  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

respects,  truthful  sketch  of  one  phase  of  the 
cowboy's  character.  Away  from  his  legiti- 
mate calling  he  is  worthless,  but  on  the 
range  he  becomes  a  most  valuable  individual. 
~No  class  of  men  exhibit  more  pluck,  endur- 
ance and  faithfulness  in  the  performance  of 
their  duties  than  do  the  cowboys.  Their 
life  is  frequently  one  of  great  hardship. 
The  care  of  a  large  herd,  especially  on  a 
drive,  requires  constant  attention  night  and 
day,  and  the  devotion  of  these  men  —  and 
they  make  a  professional  pride  of  it  —  in 
standing  by  their  trust  during  rain,  storm, 
stampedes,  and  every  other  obstacle,  should 
be  set  to  their  credit  when  we  are  enumer- 
ating their  vices.  I  have  known  personally 
many  of  this  class,  and  have  found  not  a 
few  of  them  good,  reliable  fellows,  while  of 
nearly  all  it  may  be  said  they  are  generous 
and  in  their  way  kind. 


CHAPTEK  XXII. 

MY   EXPERIENCE   AS   GOVERNMENT   SCOUT. 

My  business  in  hunting  and  driving  cattle, 
locating  ranches,  etc.,  threw  me  constantly 
in  contact  with  the  United  States  troops 
stationed  at  the  various  posts.  My  accurate 
and  extensive  knowledge  of  the  country,  as 
well  as  a  natural  aptitude  for  finding  my  way 
anywhere,  soon  became  known  to  the  officers 
commanding,  so  that  my  services  were  in  de- 
mand to  pilot  detachments  of  troops  in  their 
expeditions.  I  may  remark  here  that  from 
early  boyhood  the  bump  of  locality,  as  the 
phrenologists  would  say,  was  strongly  devel- 
oped on  my  cranium.  I  never  experienced 
the  feeling  of  being  lost.  I  have  read  some- 
where that  a  poet  is  born,  "hot  made,  and  I 
think  the  same  is  true  of  a  successful  scout. 
Going  through  a  country  for  the  first  time  I 
make  mental  note  of  all  its  leading  features, 
and  they  remain  so  indelibly  impressed  upon 
my  memory  that  on  a  second  visit  it  seems 
familiar  ground.  This  is  not  the  case  with 
the  majority.  I  know  plenty  of  men  who 
have  been  through  a  country  time  and  again 

173 


THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

who  would  confess  themselves  incompetent 
to  act  as  a  guide  to  anyone  else  through  the 
same  region.  And,  after  all,  in  every  enter- 
prise of  life,  is  it  not  true  that  only  the  few 
can  find  their  way  unaided,  while  the  many 
must  be  content  to  follow  as  they  are 
guided  ?  I  make  this  statement  without  any 
feeling  of  vanity,  but  as  a  pointer  to  young- 
sters who  have  become  fascinated  by  reading 
dime  novels  with  the  life  of  a  scout  and 
frontiersman,  that  unless  nature  has  done 
her  part  in  your  make-up  for  such  a  career, 
no  amount  of  experience  will  render  you  a 
success. 

My  career  as  a  scout  began  fully  twenty 
years  ago,  and  I  have  served  in  that  capacity 
under  various  officers  pretty  much  all  over 
the  southwestern  country.  But  my  design 
was  to  embrace  in  this  book  principally  my 
experiences  during  the  excitement  caused  by 
the  attempt  of  Captain  Payne  and  his  fol- 
lowers to  colonize  the  Oklahoma  strip  in 
face  of  the  orders  of  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment to  the  contrary. 

June  20th,  1884, 1  received  verbal  orders 
from  Gen.  Hatch  to  proceed  to  Kock  Falls, 
on  the  Cherokee  strip,  where  Capt.  Payne 
had  established  a  settlement,  and  ascertain 
as  nearly  as  possible  the  number  of  boomers 


GOVERNMENT   SCOUT.  175 

there,  and  also  at  Pearl  City,  some  twenty 
miles  further  down,  where  there  was  another 
settlement.  I  was  gone  four  days.  I  met 
with  no  incident  worthy  of  note,  excepting 
having  had  to  swim  my  horse  across  the 
Chicaskie  river.  I  made  my  report  to  the 
effect  that  there  were  about  350  boomers, 
some  few  being  women ;  also  a  drug  store, 
boarding  house  and  printing  office.  They 
had  apparently  gone  to  stay,  but  the  fates 
and  the  general  government  had  decreed 
otherwise. 

After  satisfying  himself  as  to  their  where- 
abouts, Gen.  Hatch,  in  company  with  Lieut. 
Finley,  rode  over  to  the  boomer  settlements 
and  personally  notified  them  to  vacate.  This 
they  declined  to  do,  claiming  that  what  is 
known  as  the  Cherokee  strip  was  govern- 
ment land,  and  as  such  open  to  settlement. 

I  received  an  order  from  Gen.  Hatch  to 
accompany  Capt.  Cusic,  of  the  9th  cavalry, 
with  a  detachment  of  troops,  to  eject  the 
boomers  from  Pearl  City.  They  had  aban- 
doned the  place ;  we  followed  them  up  and 
found  they  had  encamped  on  the  Chiloca 
creek  in  the  Cherokee  strip  close  to  Arkansas 
City.  Previous  to  this  Gen.  Hatch  had 
established  a  camp  at  the  junction  of  five 
trails,  the  old  Ponca,  the  Arkansas  City  and 


176  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

Eeno,  the  Chief  Joseph,  the  Yellow  Bull,  and 
the  Ponca  and  Hunnewell  trail,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  intercepting  the  movements  of  in- 
truders, it  being  situated  between  the  two 
boomer  settlements  of  Pearl  City  and  Kock 
Falls.  Capt.  Cusic  proceeded  to  arrest  the 
entire  party,  numbering  twenty-two  or 
twenty-three.  The  prisoners  were  taken  to 
the  camp  on  the  Chicaskie,  that  is,  the  old 
offenders,  the  others  being  permitted  to  re- 
turn home.  On  reaching  camp  we  found 
Capts.  Yalois  and  Moore,  of  the  9th  cavalry, 
had  returned  from  a  similar  raid  on  the 
Rock  Falls  settlement,  and  had  brought  in 
Capt.  Payne,  and  others  of  the  boomers  at 
that  point.  The  morning  after  our  arrival 
at  camp  I  received  the  following  order : 

HDQRS.  DISTEICT  OP  OKI^AHOMA, 
IN  THE  FIELD,  CAMP  ON  CHICASKIE,  Aug.  10, 1884. 

SPECIAL  OEDER  No.  19: 

[Extract] 

Scout  Theodore  Baughrnan  will  report  to 
Lieut.  J.  H.  Gardner,  9th  cavalry,  and  ac- 
company him  on  the  march  required  by  S.  O. 
No.  18,  C.  S.,  from  these  headquarters. 
By  order  of  Col.  Hatch, 

WALTER  FE^LEY, 
1&  Lieut.  9th  Cavalry,  A.  A.  A.  Gen&rcA. 

I  reported  to  Lieut.  Gardner  the  same  day 


GOVERNMENT   SCOUT.  177 

the  order  was  received,  and  we  started  with 
Payne  and  seven  or  eight  other  veteran 
boomers  who  were  there  to  be  turned  over 
to  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the 
western  district  of  Arkansas  for  prosecution. 
It  rained  all  the  first  day  out  until  we 
reached  camp.  The  second  day  we  reached 
the  Otoe  agency,  and  went  into  camp  close 
to  the  Indian  trader's  store,  on  the  north 
bank  of  Red  Rock  creek,  having  traveled 
about  twenty  miles.  The  next  morning 
while  I  was  packing  up  and  the  troops  were 
getting  ready  to  march,  a  United  States  dep- 
uty marshal  and  one  of  his  posse,  from 
Wichita,  Kas.,  appeared  on  the  scene  and 
•demanded  the  prisoners.  Lieut.  Gardner 
informed  his  majesty,  the  deputy,  that  he 
could  not  have  the  prisoners,  unless  he  licked 
his  outfit  and  took  them  by  force.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  say  we  resumed  our 
march  with  the  prisoners.  That  night  found 
us  camped  on  the  south  side  of  Black  Bear 
creek,  south  of  the  Pawnee  agency  on  the 
Pawnee  reservation.  On  resuming  our 
march  next  morning  the  prisoners  com- 
plained we  took  them  over  a  road  the 
natives  couldn't  travel.  They  were  in 
wagons,  and  as  it  was  a  rocky  country,  they 
got  pretty  well  shaken  up.  We  camped 


178  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

that  night  on  Eanch  creek,  and  lost  three 
head  of  mules,  which  were  stolen.  After 
making  an  unavailing  search  for  the  mules, 
we  pulled  out  from  camp  on  Ranch  creek, 
and  traveled  over  rather  a  rough  country, 
camping  at  night  close  to  the  head  of  Bear 
creek,  on  the  Cimarron.  The  next  morning 
we  crossed  the  Cimarron,  at  which  point 
Lieut.  Gardner  and  I  turned  back  and  rode 
to  Ranch  creek.  On  reaching  there  our 
horses  were  very  much  exhausted.  After  a 
night's  rest  we  resumed  our  homeward  ride, 
meeting  General  Hatch  and  his  adjutant  be- 
tween Nez  Perces  and  Ponca  agencies.  Gen. 
Hatch  was  going  to  look  over  the  Stillwater 
country,  as  far  as  Camp  Russell.  The  old 
general  had  a  way  of  piloting  himself,  and 
never  required  the  services  of  a  guide.  The 
party  in  charge  of  Payne  &  Co.,  commanded 
by  Lieut.  Jackson,  landed  the  prisoners  safe 
into  the  hands  of  the  civil  authorities  at 
Fort  Smith.  To  my  personal  knowledge, 
Payne,  and  all  the  other  prisoners,  were 
treated  kindly,  and  were  made  as  comfort- 
able as  was  practicable. 

Some  time  after  this,  while  at  Caldwell,  I 
received  an  order  to  report  to  Captain  Car- 
roll, of  the  9th  cavalry,  at  Camp  Russell, 
and  to  ascertain  while  en  route  whether  there 


GOVERNMENT   SCOUT.  179 

were  any  boomers  in  the  country.  But  the 
breaking  up  of  their  settlements  at  Pearl 
City  and  Rock  Falls  had  made  these  gentry 
shy,  and  it  was  hard  to  find  them,  as  they 
were  scattered  about  on  the  creeks  in  the 
brush,  making  it  a  difficult  matter  to  ferret 
them  out.  This  trip  was  rendered  harder  on 
account  of  high  water,  the  creeks  all  being 
up,  compelling  me  to  swim  them.  On  my 
return  from  Camp  Russell,  a  long  and  tedi- 
ous trip,  I  marked  out  a  route  with  a  view 
of  locating  points  for  bridging  Red  Rock, 
Black  Bear,  Salt  Fork  and  Cedar  Creek,  and 
Cimarron  river.  On  a  subsequent  trip  to 
Camp  Russell  I  made  accurate  measurement 
with  an  odemeter  of  the  distance  of  the 
route  as  well  as  the  width  of  the  various 
streams  and  made  report  thereof  to  head- 
quarters. 

A  brief  description  of  this  much  disputed 
Oklahoma  country  may  prove  interesting 
to  many  whose  eyes  have  been  turned  in 
that  direction  by  reason  of  the  brilliant 
and  seductive  accounts  sent  out  by  those  in- 
terested in  pushing  the  boomer  movement. 
I  have  traveled  over  the  entire  strip  time  and 
again  and  must  say  that  these  accounts  are 
in  many  respects  exaggerated. 

The  strip  is  a  high  divide   between  the 


180  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOTTT. 

north  fork  of  the  Canadian  and  the  Cimar- 
ron  rivers,  broken  by  numerous  small  creeks 
flowing  into  each  of  them.  It  might  be 
termed  a  hilly  country  with  the  exceptions 
of  these  portions  bordering  on  Cottonwood 
and  Chisholm  creeks.  The  hills  are  covered 
with  a  kind  of  black  jack,  fit  for  nothing  but 
fire-wood.  Along  the  streams  there  is  a 
growth  of  cottonwood,  hackberry,  elm  and 
in  some  places  china  brush  and  dogwood. 
Along  the  Cimarron  there  is  some  good  oak 
timber,  and  about  the  mouth  of  that  stream 
the  hills  are  covered  with  oak.  The  wide 
bottoms  along  the  Cimarron  are  liable  to 
overflow  in  high  water,  the  banks  being  gen- 
erally low  on  both  sides.  The  soil  in  some 
of  these  bottoms  is  quite  rich,  but  portions 
of  it  are  too  sandy  to  be  productive  under 
the  hot  sun  of  that  latitude,  in  places  the 
hardy  grass  of  that  region  even  refusing  to 
take  root.  On  the  high  ground  and  along 
Campbell  creek  and  Deep  Fork  especially 
there  are  large  sections  which  are  perfectly 
barren  of  vegetation.  The  eastern  portion 
along  the  north  bank  of  the  Cimarron  and 
close  to  its  mouth  is  rough  and  rocky. 

The  Oklahoma  strip  is  about  sixty  miles 
long  by  about  forty-six  miles  in  width,  and 
may  be  bounded  as  follows:  Commencing 


GOVERNMENT    SCOUT.  181 

at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Creek  Nation ; 
thence  due  west  about  one  hundred  miles  to 
the  Eed  Fork  of  the  Cimarron  river,  and 
sixty  miles  south  from  the  Kansas  State 
line  and  west  of  the  98th  degree  of  longi- 
tude west  from  Greenwich,  and  on  the  108th 
meridian ;  thence  in  a  southeasterly  course 
along  the  meanderings  of  the  Cimarron 
to  the  98th  degree  of  longitude ;  thence  due 
south  to  a  point  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Canadian  river;  thence  in  a  southeasterly 
course  along  the  meanderings  of  said  river  to 
the  Indian  meridian;  thence  due  north  on 
the  Indian  meridian  to  the  North  Fork  of 
the  Canadian  river;  thence  southeasterly 
along  the  meanderings  of  said  river  to  the 
west  line  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  reservation ; 
thence  due  north  to  the  Eed  Fork  of  Cimar- 
ron river;  thence  northeasterly  along  the 
meanderings  of  said  river  to  the  west  line  of 
the  Creek  Nation ;  thence  north  to  the  place 
of  beginning.  The  strip  in  dispute  contains 
about  14,000,000  acres  of  land. 

There  has  been  a  great  anxiety  on  the 
part  of  emigrants  from  the  states  to  secure 
a  location  in  Oklahoma — an  anxiety  which 
I  think  has  been  increased  because  it  is  for- 
bidden fruit,  for  there  are  plenty  of  unoccu- 
pied government  lands  not  in  dispute  equally 


182  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

available  for  settlement.  I  have  never  seen 
any  excuse  for  breaking  the  laws  in  order  to 
gain  a  foothold  in  the  Indian  country.  I 
want  to  see  the  country  opened  up  to  settle- 
ment, but  I  have  been  provoked  to  see  a  set 
of  adventurers  persistently  defy  the  United 
States  authorities,  and  place  themselves  in  a 
position  of  antagonism  to  the  laws  of  the 
land.  It  is  a  matter  for  congress  to  settle, 
and  until  congress  acts  I  think  the  loud- 
mouthed boomer  should  take  a  back  seat; 
and  when  it  is  opened  those  schemers  who 
led  so  many  dupes  to  privation  and  suffering 
will  not  become  what  they  no  doubt  will 
aspire  to  be — the  most  prominent  citizens. 


CSAPTEE  XXH1. 

GENERAL   HATCH   AND   HIS   STAFF  OFFICEES. 

Gen.  Edward  Hatch  is  one  of  the  noblest 
men  I  ever  met.  I  account  bis  friendship 
the  highest  honor  of  my  life.  His  military 
career  has  been  a  long  one,  but  has  been  one 
of  uniform  success — of  duty  nobly  per- 
formed. His  services  during  the  war  of 
secession  form  a  bright  page  in  the  history 
of  that  memorable  conflict.  He  was  not  in 
a  position  to  acquire  the  fame  which  fell  to 
other  officers  with  larger  commands,  but 
whenever  Gen.  Hatch  and  his  cavalry  were 
heard  from  the  people  rejoiced,  for  they 
knew  valiant  service  had  been  done  for  the 
sacred  cause  of  the  Union.  In  the  compar- 
atively obscure  position  which  he  has  filled 
since  the  war,  that  of  protecting  the  people 
of  Texas,  Kansas,  Arizona  and  the  other  ter- 
ritories against  Indian  depredations,  he  has 
made  himself  universally  popular.  With 
the  warm-hearted  people  of  Texas  he  is  a 
special  favorite  and  they,  one  and  all,  swear 
by  Gen.  Hatch. 

My  position  as  a  scout  has  brought  me  in 

is  188 


184  THE   OKLAHOMA   SOOTJT. 

personal  contact  with  him  for  many  years, 
and  I  have  uniformly  found  him  both  just 
and  generous.  He  is  dignified,  but  not  in 
any  wise  haughty,  being  at  all  times  consid- 
erate and  agreeable  in  his  manner  toward 
any  one  with  whom  he  is  doing  business, 
whether  his  station  is  high  or  low.  I  have 
seen  military  officers  who  seemed  to  delight 
in  acting  the  tyrant,  but  Gen.  Hatch  would 
scorn  to  use  his  power  to  oppress  the  hum- 
blest man  under  him.  I  am  personally 
indebted  to  him  for  many  kindnesses  which 
will  always  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance. 
I  should  feel  that  I  had  been  guilty  of 
ingratitude  were  I  to  fail  to  notice  in  this 
account  of  my  life  my  friend  "Walter  L.  Fin- 
ley,  first  lieutenant  of  company  L,  9th  cav- 
alry, and  at  present  acting  adjutant-general 
of  the  District  of  Oklahoma.  He  is  one  of 
the  brightest,  bravest,  friendliest  and  freest- 
hearted  young  fellows  that  ever  lived.  He 
is  from  Pennsylvania,  and  I  venture  to  pre- 
dict that  if  the  occasion  ever  arises  when  his 
abilities  can  be  tested  in  a  great  war,  the  old 
Keystone  State  will  enroll  his  name  among 
her  heroes  along  with  those  of  such  leaders  as 
Hancock  and  Meade.  He  has  been  an  active 
participant  in  the  military  operations  to 
settle  the  Oklahoma  troubles,  and  it  hae 


GENERAL   HATCH.  185 

been  a  good  school  in  which  to  learn  pru- 
dence, patience  and  forbearance,  as  well  as 
the  exercise  of  firmness  and  decision  of 
character.  Lieut.  Finley  has  been  uniformly 
my  friend,  and  has  my  best  wishes  for  his 
success  in  life  wherever  he  may  be. 


CHAPTEK  XXIY. 

LIEUTENANT   CHARLES   TAYLOE. 

Another  among  my  particular  and  most 
prized  army  friends,  is  First  Lieut.  Charles 
Taylor,  quartermaster  of  the  9th  cavalry, 
and  at  the  time  I  knew  him  was  quarter- 
master-general of  the  district  of  Oklahoma. 
I  saw  a  good  deal  of  service  with  Lieut. 
Taylor.  In  the  summer  of  1884  while  he 
and  I  were  going  out  to  look  over  some  field 
transportation,  his  horse,  or  rather  one  be- 
longing to  the  quartermaster  department, 
became  unmanageable,  and  in  attempting  to 
dismount  he  was  thrown  and  had  his  leg 
broken  at  the  ankle,  from  which  he  suffered 
a  great  deal  during  the  summer  and  fall. 
Lieut.  Taylor  is  the  prince  of  good  fellows, 
but  firm  as  the  rock  of  Gibraltar,  and  stern 
and  unrelenting  in  carrying  out  anything  he 
undertakes.  He  incurred  the  everlasting 
displeasure  of  the  Oklahoma  boomers  by  his 
strictness  in  carrying  out  the  orders  for  their 
expulsion  from  the  territory.  On  one  occa/ 
sion  he  came  across  a  number  of  them  en- 
camped on  the  present  site  of  Fort  Eussell, 

186 


LIEUT.  CHARLES  TAYLOK.  187 

on  the  south  bank  of  the  Cimarron  river. 
The  boomers  were  holding  religious  services. 
The  Lieutenant  inquired  "  Who's  boss  here  ? " 
He  got  no  satisfactory  response,  and  declared 
the  whole  party  under  arrest.  Some  of  them 
refused  to  acknowledge  the  arrest  and  leave 
the  ground.  These  he  ordered  to  be  seized 
and  tied;  he  then  had  them  put  in  the 
wagons  and  hauled  to  Fort  Keno.  There  is 
no  use  for  any  one  to  try  to  fool  with 
Charley  Taylor  while  carrying  out  orders 
from  his  superior  officer.  One  of  the  bound 
boomers  sued  for  $25,000  damages  but  did 
not  recover  anything. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

TRIP    TO    FORT   RILET. 

On  October  16,  1884,  I  received  orders  to 
accompany  H  and  D  troops  of  the  9th  cavalry, 
on  their  march  to  Fort  Riley,  which  is  situ- 
ated in  Davis  County,  Kansas,  on  Smoky 
Hill  river.  It  required  the  services  of  some 
one  familiar  with  the  route  to  regulate  the 
march  so  as  to  secure  suitable  places  for 
camping,  where  sufficient  could  be  had  for 
the  stock. 

I  reached  camp  on  the  17th,  at  Chicaskie. 
On  the  18th  we  marched  to  Chilocca  creek, 
south  of  Arkansas  City,  a  distance  of  twenty- 
five  miles.  The  next  day  marched  to  Win- 
field,  and  camped  on  Dutch  creek,  having 
traveled  twenty  miles.  On  the  20th  we 
marched  to  Douglas,  about  eighteen  or 
twenty  miles,  and  put  up  our  tents  in  a  camp- 
meeting  ground.  The  next  day,  21st,  we 
journeyed  as  far  as  Gideon  creek,  and  camped 
on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Potwin.  The  close  of 
the  23d  found  us  at  Peabody,  on  the  Santa 
Fe  road.  The  next  day  we  reached  a  point 
six  miles  north  of  Marion  Center  on  a  spring 
188 


TRIP  TO   POET  BILBY.  189 

branch.  On  the  25th  we  got  to  the  first 
crossing  on  Lyon's  creek,  and  on  the  26th 
moved  into  Fort  Kiley,  it  being  Sunday. 
That  night  I  slept  in  Lieut.  Gardner's  quar- 
ters, and  on  Monday  the  27th,  I  reported  to 
Col.  Dudley  of  the  1st  cavalry,  who  com- 
manded the  post,  and  got  transportation 
home.  I  had  previously  seen  Col.  Dudley 
at  Fort  Lyon.  He  is  a  good  ways  past  the 
middle  age  and  has  spent  many  a  year  in 
Uncle  Sam's  military  service.  But  he  is  still 
a  soldierly  looking  man,  erect,  and  with  an 
eye  like  a  hawk.  I  was  treated  very  kindly 
by  him  as  well  as  the  other  officers  at  the 
post.  I  forgot  to  state  that  Capt.  John 
Loud  of  company  D,  commanded  the  bat- 
tallion  on  the  march  to  Fort  Riley,  Lieut. 
Gardner  being  in  command  of  company  H. 
I  returned  to  Caldwell  where  Capt.  Moore  of 
L  company  of  the  9th,  was  stationed  that 
winter,  watching  the  boomers. 

The  winter  wore  with  occasional  episodes 
in  the  way  of  expeditions  into  the  territory 
with  Lieut.  Finley  looking  after  the  boom- 
ers. On  one  occasion  the  command  captured 
a  squad  of  eighteen  wood  thieves  who  had 
been  surreptitiously  helping  themselves  to 
timber  off  the  Cherokee  strip,  which  they 
were  hauling  to  Arkansas  City.  Finley  com- 


190  THE   OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

pelled  them  to  leave  the  wood  at  Chilocca 
school  house.  The  wood  gatherers  were 
much  incensed,  but  the  stern  hand  of  au- 
thority was  upon  them  and  they  could  do 
nothing  but  grumble. 


CHAPTEK  XXYL 

FURTHER   WANDERINGS. 

I  left  Caldwell,  January  11,  1885,  with 
three  troops  of  cavalry,  Capt.  Francis  Moore 
in  command.  The  roads  were  very  soft, 
making  traveling  difficult,  and  it  was  cold, 
the  wind  being  in  the  north.  We  camped 
that  night  on  Deer  creek,  where  we  remained 
during  Monday,  the  time  being  whiled  away 
by  the  troops  cursing  the  boomers  for  mov- 
ing them  out  of  good,  warm  quarters  in  such 
weather.  On  Tuesday,  the  13th,  the  weather 
was  bitter  cold.  The  troops  moved  down 
the  creek  to  near  Miller's  ranch  and  went 
into  camp.  I  rode  on  to  Salt  Fork  and  saw 
Gen.  Hatch,  who  was  in  camp  there.  I  found 
South  Fork  impossible  to  cross,  on  account 
of  the  ice  being  piled  up.  I  spent  the  night 
at  Gen.  Hatch's  camp,  and  next  morning  re- 
turned to  Capt.  Moore's  camp,  on  Deer 
creek,  some  eight  miles  distant.  It  was 
sleeting.  The  two  blacksmiths  were  kept 
busy  sharpening  the  horses'  shoes.  We  broke 
camp  on  the  morning  of  the  15th,  in  a  terri- 
ble snowstorm.  The  roads  were  so  slippery 

m 


192  THE   OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

from  the  sleet  that  the  soldiers  had  to  lead 
their  horses,  and  it  was  so  bitter  cold  that 
eight  or  nine  of  them  froze  their  hands  and 
faces  in  marching  a  distance  of  only  eight 
miles.  On  the  16th  it  was  quite  clear,  but 
still  tremendously  cold.  We  cut  holes  in  the 
ice  to  flood  it,  so  as  to  make  it  thick  enough 
to  carry  the  troops,  horses  and  wagons.  The 
command  consisted  at  this  time  of  com- 
pany L,  Capt.  Moore;  company  B,  Capt. 
Dawson,  and  company  M,  Capt.  Rucker. 
There  were  three  six-mule  teams  to  each 
company,  besides  eighteen  or  twenty  con- 
tract wagons.  On  Saturday,  the  17th,  the 
entire  command  crossed  without  accident. 
We  marched  to  Red  Rock,  the  soldiers 
being  compelled  to  hold  their  horses  by 
their  bits  to  keep  them  from  slipping.  We 
went  to  camp  on  south  side  of  Red  Rock,  the 
wagons  being  hauled  across  by  hand,  on 
account  of  the  banks  being  so  icy,  animals 
couldn't  get  a  foothold.  We  remained  there 
over  Sunday,  and  breaking  camp  early  Mon- 
day morning,  marched  to  Black  Bear,  about 
sixteen  miles. 

Tuesday,  the  20th,  we  reached  the  south 
line  of  the  Cherokee  strip  gate,  having  had  a 
painful  march  over  the  ice,  and  the  weather 
still  remaining  intensely  cold.  The  soldiers 


EMMA'S  MESS  KITCHEN. 


WANDERINGS.  193 


began  to  feel  pretty  bitter  toward  the 
boomers,  and  were  not  backward  in  express- 
ing themselves.  The  next  day  was  no  im- 
provement on  the  preceding  one,  and  we 
only  succeeded  in  making  fifteen  miles,  go- 
ing into  camp  at  half  past  one  o'clock  on  a 
prong  of  Stillwater  creek.  Camping  time 
Thursday  found  us  on  Cedar  creek,  north  of 
Camp  Russell,  after  a  march  of  twelve  miles. 
Next  day  we  countermarched  to  a  prong 
of  Stillwater  creek,  about  seventeen  miles. 
Saturday,  the  24th,  we  broke  camp  soon 
after  daylight,  and  after  a  hard  march 
formed  a  junction  with  the  other  troops, 
under  command  of  Major  Dewees,  at  the 
camp  of  the  boomers,  in  charge  of  Capt. 
Couch.  During  the  day  we  had  put  in  con- 
siderable time  building  bridges,  which  re- 
called to  my  mind  very  forcibly  my  war  ex- 
perience during  the  Atlanta  campaign.  The 
next  morning,  Wednesday,  the  25th,  the 
boomers  were  formally  notified  that  they 
would  be  given  until  next  morning  at  nine 
o'clock  to  move  out.  I  find  in  my  note  book 
the  following  entry  in  the  handwriting  of 
Capt.  Moore :  "  Good  deal  of  diplomacy  go- 
ing on  between  the  two  camps,  Lieut.  Day 
being  minister  plenipotentiary  on  part  of 
the  command."  Day  had  ordered  the  boom- 


194:  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

ers  out  on  a  previous  occasion,  and  they  had 
refused  to  go,  inviting  him  to  fire  on  them  if 
he  chose. 

My  note  book  has  this  entry  for  the  26th : 
"Troops  formed  in  line  of  battle  at  nine 
A.  M.,  and  stood  awaiting  orders.  Word 
came  very  soon  that  the  boomers  would  go, 
and  the  line  was  broken  up  to  await  further 
orders.  I  started  at  2  p.  M.,  by  order  of 
Capt.  Walter  L.  Finley,  Adjt.-Gen.  of  the 
district  of  Oklahoma,  to  carry  dispatches  and 
letters  to  Arkansas  City,  to  be  forwarded 
from  there.  My  instructions  required  me  to 
remain  in  Arkansas  City  twenty-four  hours 
to  await  answers  to  telegrams  unless  they 
arrived  sooner,  and  then  return  to  Ponca 
agency  to  meet  the  troops." 

This  is  the  trip  which  Gen.  Hatch  com- 
plimented, and  which  was  noticed  in  Frank 
Leslie's  Illustrated  Magazine.  The  weather 
was  intensely  cold  and  the  roads  icy.  I 
traveled  all  night  and  reached  Arkansas  City 
after  a  drive  of  twelve  hours.  Answers  to 
telegrams  came  in  time  for  me  to  start  back 
next  morning,  and  I  returned  to  Ponca 
agency,  where  I  met  the  command.  The 
boomers  were  in  front,  loaded  in  fifty-four 
wagons,  and  presented  a  rather  doleful  spec- 
tacle. They  were  escorted  across  the  state 


WANDERINGS.  195 


line  at  Arkansas  City  and  released.  They 
went  into  camp  there.  Gen.  Hatch  soon 
after  moved  his  headquarters  to  Arkansas 
City  so  as  to  be  in  position  to  keep  Capt. 
Couch  in  check,  while  two  companies  of 
troops  were  stationed  at  Ponca  agency. 

Under  orders  I  attended  the  various 
boomer  meetings  in  the  state  in  order  to 
ascertain  what  their  plans  were.  It  has  been 
constantly  claimed  that  a  great  majority  of 
the  people  of  Kansas  sympathized  with  the 
boomers  but  from  what  I  saw  and  heard  I 
am  convinced  this  was  not  the  case.  They 
had  sympathizers,  and  they  generally  made 
a  great  deal  of  noise,  but  thinking  men  con- 
demned the  movement  as  unwarranted  and 
presumptuous,  and  calculated  to  weaken  the 
respect  of  men  for  the  authority  of  law. 
The  boomers  have  tried  to  pose  as  martyrs, 
but  have  signally  failed.  I  say  this  out  of 
no  unkindness,  for  I  know  several  of  them 
with  whom  I  am  on  good  terms. 

On  Wednesday,  March  4th,  1885,  I  left 
Arkansas  City  with  an  infantry  battalion, 
Major  Clark,  bound  for  Ponca  agency,  which 
point  was  reached  March  7th,  and  relieved 
the  cavalry  battalion,  which  moved  to  Chil- 
occa  creek,  south  of  Arkansas  City,  on  the 
Cherokee  strip.  I  was  kept  constantly  on  the 


196  THE  OKLAHOMA  SCOUT. 

move,  but  I  omit  all  incidents  up  to  the  7th 
of  April.  On  this  date  I  commenced  a  mem- 
orable trip  over  the  Oklahoma  country  to 
Camp  Eussell,  in  company  with  "  Lord  "  John 
Bacon,  the  accomplished  and  gentlemanly 
correspondent  of  the  Kansas  City  Times.  I 
went  under  orders  from  Gen.  Hatch  to  meas- 
ure width  of  streams  in  event  they  needed 
bridging,  for  the  high  water  had  bothered 
him  a  great  deal,  also  to  look  out  the  best 
crossings.  My  companion  was  representing 
his  paper,  one  of  the  most  wide-awake  papers 
in  the  west. 

One  pleasant  incident  of  the  trip  was  stop- 
ping with  Major  Clark  of  the  23d  infantry, 
a  most  hospitable  and  clever  gentleman,  as 
an  able  soldier  so  recognized  throughout  the 
army,  having  been  in  the  service  since  long 
before  the  war.  The  Major  is  a  universal 
favorite.  He  is  always  the  same  in  camp  or 
court. 

We  next  struck  the  Pawnee  agency  on  the 
9th  of  April,  where  we  met  with  the  misfor- 
tune of  having  our  mules  burnt  up  in  the 
Indian  trader's  stable  that  night.  About 
midnight  I  saw  a  light  in  the  window  of  the 
hotel  and  perceived  the  stable  was  on  fire. 
I  called  Bacon  and  told  him  the  stable  was 
afire,  I  guessed.  When  I  got  there  it  was  too 


FUBTHEE  WANDERINGS.  197 

late  to  do  anything,  the  four  animals  with 
two  horses  already  having  perished,  also  a 
set  of  harness  I  still  owe  for.  I  managed  to 
save  the  carriage.  On  returning  to  the 
house  I  found  that  another  tragedy  had  tran- 
spired in  my  absence.  "Lord"  Bacon,  it 
seems,  on  being  aroused  from  his  sleep  and 
dreams  of  a  long  communication  to  the 
Times  in  regard  to  the  number  of  cattle  in 
Oklahoma,  leaped  frantically  from  the  bed, 
and  in  endeavoring  to  reach  the  window  to 
look  out,  he  fell  down  stairs  (and  great  was 
the  fall  thereof),  sustaining  severe,  but  not 
fatal  injuries  in  various  portions  of  his  body. 
Our  landlady,  alarmed  by  the  crash,  came 
out  as  thinly  clad  as  the  hapless  Bacon,  the 
dress  of  each  being  a  night-gown,  and  a  look 
of  amazement  and  fright.  But,  like  a  true 
newspaper  correspondent,  he  was  not  to  be 
deterred  by  difficulties  or  misfortunes. 

On  the  llth  we  went  with  the  agent's  team 
to  the  Z.  Y.  ranch,  about  twenty-five  miles 
west,  where  Mr.  Wm.  Norman  kindly  let  us 
have  the  use  of  a  span  of  horses  to  complete 
our  journey.  We  left  the  Z.  Y.  ranch  on 
the  14th,  and  reached  Camp  Eussell  on  the 
15th.  On  the  16th  I  took  the  measurement 
of  the  Cimarron  river  at  Camp  Russell  for  a 
ferry,  with  the  following  result :  240  feet  of 

H 


198  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

water ;  331  from  top  of  bank  on  north  side 
to  a  stake  on  bar  on  south  side,  and  556  feet 
from  an  oak  tree  on  north  side  to  a  cotton- 
wood  on  south  side.  "We  had  a  pleasant  time 
at  Camp  Eussell,  being  most  kindly  taken 
care  of  by  Captain,  now  Major,  Carroll,  and 
Lieut.  Bingham,  of  company  A,  9th  cavalry. 
April  19th  we  reached  Black  Bear  on  our  re- 
turn, where  the  unlucky  but  plucky  corre- 
spondent of  the  Kansas  City  Times  once  more 
came  to  grief.  As  we  were  descending  the 
bank  to  the  creek  ford,  near  the  Wiath  cattle 
company's  ranch,  the  buggy  upset  and  rolled 
into  the  water ;  but  I  got  the  worst  of  this 
adventure,  for  I  fell  first  with  Lord  Bacon 
on  the  top  of  me,  with  the  lines  tangled 
around  my  feet.  The  team  was  fortunately 
jaded  and  did  not  run,  and  we  escaped  with 
no  further  injury  than  a  good  wetting  and 
a  coating  of  mud.  It  was  only  a  short 
distance  to  the  ranch,  where  Captain  Parks, 
manager,  took  us  in,  and  in  every  respect 
acted  toward  us  the  good  Samaritan.  We 
reached  Arkansas  City  April  20th  without 
further  misfortune.  From  there  I  went  to 
Topeka  as  witness  before  the  United  States 
grand  jury  against  the  boomers.  On  return- 
ing to  Caldwell  I  found  the  9th  cavalry  had 
received  orders  to  change  stations  with 


tftJRTHER  WANDERINGS.  199 

the  5th  cavalry  at  Fort  McKinney,  Wyo- 
ming Territory.  I  was  ordered  by  Gen. 
Hatch  to  report  to  Maj.  De wees'  battalion, 
then  on  the  way  from  Fort  Eeno  to  Arkansas 
City,  via  Camp  Bussell.  This  proved  to  be 
one  of  my  toughest  trips,  having  to  swim 
my  horse  over  every  stream  on  the  route. 
Although  along  in  April  it  was  cold,  there 
frequently  being  ice  in  the  creeks.  These 
delays  kept  me  so  long  on  the  road  Gen. 
Hatch  became  uneasy,  and  telegraphed  to 
Fort  Reno  to  know  if  I  had  reported. 
He  knew  of  the  high  water  and  thought  I  had 
likely  been  drowned.  On  my  return  to 
Caldwell  I  was  ordered  to  report  to  General 
Dudley,  and  was  afterward  transferred  to 
the  5th  cavalry,  and  went  with  two  battal- 
ions to  Fort  Eeno. 

July  15th  I  joined  Captain  Potter  at  Cald- 
well who  had  orders  to  notify  intruders  off 
of  the  Oklahoma  and  Cherokee  strips.  I  was 
out  fifteen  days  with  him,  during  which 
we  traveled  pretty  much  all  over  both  strips. 
The  weather  was  very  warm,  and  we  suffered 
much  from  the  heat,  as  well  as  from  lack  of 
water.  The  boomers  can  have  the  satisfac- 
tion of  knowing  that  they  caused  a  good  deal 
both  of  inconvenience  and  suffering  to  the 
instruments  used  by  the  government  for  their 


200  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

expulsion.  I  got  back  to  Caldwell  on  the 
1st  day  of  August. 

My  next  undertaking  was  of  a  private 
nature.  I  was  employed  by  E-.  L.  Dunman, 
of  Coleman  county,  Texas,  with  eight  others, 
Hiram  Norton  being  his  foreman,  to  retake 
possession  of  a  ranch  and  a  herd  of  cattle 
numbering  7,000,  the  purchaser  having  failed 
to  comply  with  his  part  of  the  contract.  The 
ranch  is  situated  in  the  forks  of  the  Arkansas 
and  Cimarron  rivers.  We  got  possession  of 
the  ranch  and  herd,  and  held  it  for  two 
months  and  a  half,  when  the  purchaser  hav- 
ing in  the  meantime  complied  with  the  con- 
tract of  purchase,  we  turned  the  stock  and 
ranch  over  to  them  by  order  of  Mr.  Dunman. 

R.  L.  Dunman  is  an  old  cattle  driver,  and 
now  runs  large  herds  in  Texas.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  energetic  and  persistent  workers  I 
ever  saw.  He  is  an  honorable  man,  and 
doesn't  undertake  anything  that  is  not  right, 
but  when  he  does  start  there  is  no  stopping 
him.  From  him,  and  also  from  his  foreman, 
Hiram  Norton,  I  received  many  kindnesses. 
They  are  both  men  who  will  do  to  tie  to  in 
any  emergency. 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 


Among  my  most  pleasant  remembrances 
are  the  days  I  spent  at  General  Hatch's 
camp  on  the  Chillocca  creek.  This  camp- 
ing ground  was  about  six  miles  south  of 
Arkansas  City,  and  two  miles  from  the 
Kansas  line  on  what  was  known  as  the 
Cherokee  strip.  The  command  was  com- 
posed of.  seven  companies  of  the  Ninth 
United  States  Cavalry,  numbering  in  all 
about  six  hundred  men.  The  headquarters 
of  General  Hatch  were  at  Arkansas  City. 
Colonel  Benteen  was  in  immediate  command 
of  the  camp  on  the  Chillocca  creek,  and  a 
noble  commander  he  made,  too.  While  a 
thorough  disciplinarian,  he  was  honored  and 
respected  by  every  soldier  in  the  camp.  It 
was  my  business  to  watch  the  Boomers,  and 
in  my  capacity  as  Chief  Scout  to  General 
Hatch,  I  was  in  and  out  of  the  camp  all  the 
time.  There  being,  as  I  have  said,  six  hun- 
dred men  in  camp  there  was  no  chance  of 
being  very  lonesome.  The  duties  of  the 
soldiers  consisted  mainly  in  taking  care  of 
201 


202  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

their  horses  and  going  out  on  scouting  expe- 
ditions, and  between  the  two  they  were 
generally  kept  pretty  busy.  After  the  tatoo 
which  sounded  at  nine  o'clock  at  night,  the 
lamps  were  all  put  out  and  then  came  those 
'never-to-be-forgotten  camp-fire  chats.  Many 
a  merry  tale  was  told,  many  a  loud  and  boister- 
ous song  was  sung ;  all  sorts  of  yarns  were 
spun,  some  of  them  truthful  enough,  and  many 
of  them  not  any  too  truthful.  Ghost  stories, 
love  stories,  hunting  stories,  war  stories, 
all  sorts  of  stories.  Sometimes  a  sort  of 
home  sickness  would  strike  the  boys,  and 
then  they  would  sing  songs  of  home,  and  of 
their  early  days.  Many  of  the  men  were  old 
war  veterans,  and  told  some  strange  and 
wonderful  stories  of  the  war.  I  guess  they 
sometimes  stretched  a  little,  especially  when 
describing  their  own  exploits.  Sundays  were 
not  much  different  from  other  days.  We 
were  not  blessed  with  a  chaplain,  so  we  had 
no  church  service,  and  truth  to  tell,  I  am 
afraid  none  of  us  were  hankering  very  much 
for  religious  exercises.  Sometimes  we  had 
visitors  on  Sunday,  and  that  broke  the 
monotony  of  the  week.  Mr.  Worthy,  of  the 
Santa  Fee  road,  showed  me  great  kindness 
on  the  occasions  of  his  visits.  The  various 
illustrations  that  are  scattered  through  this 


OSOTEBAL  HATCH'S  GAMP.  203 

volume  will  give  the  reader  a  good  idea  of 
our  camp.  The  forage  pile,  with  its  baled 
hay  and  other  necessaries  for  the  horses,  the 
camp  oven  dug  in  the  ground  that  would 
cook  to  a  charm,  the  pleasant  face  of  Emma, 
the  colored  cook,  as  she  stands  at  her  camp 
mess  kitchen  table,  and  the  Adjutant's  office 
tent  will  call  up  pleasant  memories  to  all 
who  ever  saw  the  camp  on  Chillocca  creek. 


CHAPTER  XXVHI. 

INDIAN  GRAVES. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  such  as  have 
never  seen  an  Indian  grave  to  have  some 
information  presented  to  them  concerning 
burial  among  the  Indians.  When  an  Indian 
of  the  Cheyennes  or  of  the  Kapperhoe  tribe 
dies,  his  family  and  tribe  begin  forthwith  to 
collect  as  many  shirts,  leggings,  moccasins, 
etc.,  as  they  possibly  can.  In  addition  to  all 
this  they  gather  together  as  much  ammuni- 
tion as  possible,  and  with  a  saddle  and  a 
hatchet  and  the  indispensable  peace-pipe, 
they  take  the  body  of  the  dead  man  into 
some  secluded  spot  in  the  woods.  They 
then  procure  long  poles,  which  they  place  on 
crotches  of  the  trees,  twenty  or  thirty  feet 
high,  on  these  they  spread  rawhides.  The 
dead  body  is  then  wrapped  up  in  blankets  with 
all  the  paraphernalia  which  have  been  col- 
lected. A  buffalo  hide  is  tied  around  the 
whole  and  secured  to  the  poles  and  branches 
of  the  trees.  The  favorite  war  horse  of  the 
dead  Indian  is  then  brought  and  shot.  All 
this  proceeds  on  the  superstition  that  these 

204 


INDIAN  GRAVES.  205 

things  will  be  useful  to  the  dead  man  when 
he  reaches  the  happy  hunting  grounds.  A 
bucket  of  water  is  placed  near  the  grave 
that  the  dead  man  may  not  suffer  from 
thirst.  I  have  seen  hundreds  of  these 
graves,  and  they  are  not  often  molested. 
Even  careless  men  have  a  sort  of  feeling 
that  the  Indians  have  a  right  to  enjoy  their 
own  superstitions.  JSTow  and  again  some 
devil-may-care  of  a  cowboy  will  disturb  the 
sacred  relics.  But  woe  betide  him  if  the 
Indians  catch  him;  they  will  shoot  him 
dead  without  a  moment's  pause. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

HUNTING   MEMORIES. 

The  pleasantest  feature  of  Oklahoma  life 
has  yet  to  be  mentioned.  The  city  gentleman 
may  take  pride  in  showing  his  country 
friends  the  sights  of  a  great  metropolis. 
The  sturdy  farmer  may  fill  himself  with  sat- 
isfaction as  he  welcomes  his  city  friends  to 
his  home  of  peace  and  plenty  and  quiet. 
The  European  and  American  may  exchange 
places,  and  visit  and  revisit  the  great  centers 
where  men  have  reared  huge  structures  and 
piled  up  immense  fortunes,  but  all  these  are 
tame  and  common  compared  with  a  rough 
and  ready  reception  in  the  wild  west.  The 
later  years  of  my  scouting  experience  have 
been  broken  into  by  visits,  not  from  the  red- 
skins, not  from  troops  bent  on  war,  not  from 
cowboys  turned  loose  to  start  a  bedlam 
on  the  plains,  but  visits  from  knights  of  the 
gun  and  rod.  In  fact,  many  hunting  parties 
from  the  cities,  it  has  been  my  pleasure  to 
meet  during  recent  autumns.  Men  who  lay 
aside  the  office  ledger  and  the  business  of 
shop  or  store  for  a  six  weeks'  trip  into  Okla- 
206 


HUNTING   MEMORIES.  207 

homa  land  are  usually  men  of  congenial 
spirits,  of  brave  acts  and  of  kind  hearts. 
One  such  party  I  will  refer  to  in  particular. 
Put  on  the  list  Fred  P.  Taylor,  John  F. 
Whiting,  Bill  Haskell,  Harry  Loveday  and 
Albert  Huston,  of  Chicago.  Let  these  be 
joined  by  Ben  Miller  and  Milt  Bennett,  of 
Caldwell,  Kansas.  Then  add  guns,  revolv- 
ers, tents,  kettles,  knives,  wagons,  horses, 
saddles,  dogs,  blankets,  cigars  and  other  "  re- 
freshments," and  then  invite  the  writer  to 
show  the  way,  and  you  have  an  outfit  such 
as  never  went  in  search  of  pleasure 
any  where  but  in  the  beautiful  wild  gardens 
that  lie  in  the  valley  of  Oklahoma.  These 
men  I  have  been  with,  and  have  the 
promise  for  the  future  of  still  other  cam- 
paigns in  the  lands  which  the  red  man  calls 
his  own.  Together  we  have  forded  streams. 
Together  we  have  brought  down  the  wild 
deer  on  the  run  or  the  wild  turkey  on  tke 
wing.  Together  we  have  slept  in  wagons 
and  under  wagons,  or  within  the  shelter  of 
little  tents  pitched  on  spots  where  stakes  had 
never  before  broken  the  surface  of  mother 
earth.  Together  about  the  camp-fire  we 
have  lain  on  the  grass  and  counted  the  tur- 
keys and  deer  killed  during  the  day  after 
they  were  strung  up  on  long  poles  placed  iu 


208  THE   OKLAHOMA   SCOUT. 

the  forks  of  the  trees.    The  evening  was  also 
the  favorite  hour  for  swapping  stories. 

It  was  not  always  the  best  shot  who  could 
spin  the  best  yarn.  Messrs.  Miller  and 
Bennett,  of  Caldwell,  are  the  president  and 
treasurer,  respectively,  of  the  Cherokee  Live 
Stock  Association.  They  are  gentlemen  of 
wealth  and  culture.  But  as  they  presented 
themselves  in  camp  with  torn  brimmed  hats 
and  pants  so  sadly  demoralized  that  they  lit- 
tle more  than  evaded  the  law,  they  became, 
to  all  appearances,  banditti  of  the  prairies. 
Mr.  Miller  would  not  have  been  recognized 
on  the  campus  at  Cambridge  as  he  was  in 
former  years,  when  he  left  old  Harvard  with 
honors,  nor  would  Mr.  Bennett  have  been 
easily  recognized  as  the  keeper  of  an  ex- 
chequer and  the  treasurer  of  a  great  corpo- 
ration. But  true  gentlemen  do  not  change 
with  thair  clothes,  and  these  two,  freed  for 
a  time  of  business  cares,  were  affable,  large- 
hearted  gentlemen  still,  while  roughing  it  in 
the  chase  or  in  the  camp.  Mr.  Taylor  and 
his  fellows  of  Chicago  were  as  jolly  and 
honorable  and  enjoyable  company  as  ever 
left  a  great  city  to  smoke  pipes  or  tell 
stories  about  a  camp-fire  in  the  wilds  that 
border  the  Cimarron.  Taylor  and  Haskell 
were  opposites  on  everything.  From  the 


HUNTING   MEMORIES.  209 

first  morning  greeting  until  the  last  man  was 
rolled  in  his  blanket  at  night,  these  two 
managed  to  disagree.  Their  friendly  spats 
furnished  life  and  sport  for  the  party,  who 
often  volunteered  to  make  a  ring  for  them 
to  fight  it  out  in  approved  style.  But  when 
Haskell  and  Loveday  got  lost  after  a  turkey 
hunt  near  Sulphur  Springs,  south  of  the  Cim- 
arron,  Taylor  was  the  worst  worried  man  in 
the  party,  and  laughable  to  remark,  his  anx- 
iety seemed  to  be  mostly  about  contrary- 
spirit  Haskell.  The  laugh  was  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  good-natured  Bennett  one  day 
when  he  used  two  small  bars  of  dynamite  to 
try  to  blow  fish  out  of  a  stream.  He  secured, 
as  the  result  of  his  scientific  feat,  two  little 
fish  no  longer  than  a  pipestem,  which,  how- 
ever, he  declared  he  would  cook  and  eat,  as 
the  experiment  cost  him  about  three  dollars, 
besides  his  valuable  time.  The  recollections 
of  all  these  gentlemen  will  ever  be  pleasant 
to  me  as  one  of  their  number. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

OTHER    SCOUTS. 

Having  in  a  brief  way  detailed  some  of  my 
experiences  as  a  scout,  I  will  now  endeavor 
to  pay  a  tribute  of  respect  to  some  other 
members  of  the  scouting  fraternity  whom  I 
have  known. 

I  will  begin  with  Jack  Stillwell,  who  is  a 
man  now  about  forty  years  of  age,  medium 
height,  with  a  large  round  head  and  face, 
the  latter  wearing  a  good-natured  expression. 
His  eyes  are  blue,  and  mild  when  not  excited. 
But  when  he  is  angered,  or  in  danger,  they 
flash  forth  the  determination  of  invincible 
pluck.  He  does  not  know  fear.  He  is  a 
splendid  fellow  to  be  with,  being  generous 
to  a  fault.  He  is  the  opposite  of  a  bully,  and 
in  any  difficulty  he  always  takes  the  weaker 
side.  In  his  ordinary  intercourse  with  men 
he  is  unassuming  and  gentlemanly.  His  has 
been  an  eventful  career,  and  his  scouting 
career  covers  many  years,  including  the  worst 
Indian  times  on  the  plains.  He  was  with 
Gen.  Forsythe  on  the  Eepublican  river  at 
the  memorable  Indian  battle  of  Eicore, 
210 


212  OTHER   SCOUTS. 

where  the  band  of  scouts  lived  eight  days  on 
the  flesh,  of  their  horses,  which  were  killed 
the  first  day's  fight.  The  Indians  were  in 
overwhelming  numbers,  consisting  of  Chey- 
ennes,  Arapahoes,  and  warriors  from  other 
tribes.  On  the  third  night  Stillwell  crept 
out  under  cover  of  the  darkness  and  carried 
that  memorable  Forsythe  dispatch  to  Fort 
Hays  for  succor,  at  least  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles.  He  reached  there  in  safety,  and 
the  beleaguered  band  was  rescued. 

George  Oaks  and  Mose  Waters  were  both 
present  at  this  fight  and  served  the  govern- 
ment faithfully  as  scouts.  Oaks  was  a  good 
friend  but  a  bad  enemy,  and  stood  no  trifling 
with.  Waters  was  more  of  a  business  turn 
of  mind,  and  after  a  time  relapsed  into  a  post 
trader,  which  position  he  now  holds  at  Fort 
Kiley.  Mose  is  one  of  the  best  fellows  in 
the  world  and  is  happy  and  rich,  having  a 
beautiful  wife  and  three  charming  little  girls. 
I  was  always  glad  when  my  business  called 
me  to  Mose's  post,  and  many  is  the  pleasant 
hour  we've  spent  together,  rehearsing  old 
times  and  the  stirring  scenes  incident  to  a 
scout's  life,  and  commenting  upon  the  char- 
acteristics of  those  of  our  comrades  who  had 
gone  with  the  majority. 

Ben  Clark,  now  at  Fort  Eeno  as  scout  and 


THE    OKLAHOMA    SCOTJi.  %±$ 

interpreter,  too  well  known  for  his  personal 
and  professional  worth  in  military  circles  to 
need  mention  here ;  Billy  Dickson,  now  at 
Fort  Elliott,  a  quiet,  peaceable  man,  but 
brave,  and  always  ready,  and  who  gained 
knightly  spurs  at  the  Adobe  Walls  fight 
with  the  Cheyennes,  on  the  South  Canadian  ; 
Big  Nick,  as  he  was  called,  a  scout  widely 
known,  a  thorough  good  fellow,  but  keen, 
shrewd,  and  at  all  times  to  be  relied  on  as  a 
civilian  or  soldier ;  Tom  Donnell,  whose  con- 
versational powers  are  only  equaled  by  his 
skill  as  a  scout,  a  splendid  fellow  withal,  are 
the  scouts  whom  I  have  best  known,  and 
who  have  always  been  my  friends. 

I  have  now  finished  this  little  book,  so  far 
as  an  account  of  my  adventures  are  con- 
cerned. I  have  not  aimed  to  be  sensational, 
and  have  stated  nothing  but  what  is  strictly 
true.  I  am  now  past  my  fortieth  year.  I 
entered  the  army  of  the  union,  and  under- 
went three  years  of  hardships,  which,  as  I 
look  back  upon  them  now,  it  seems  almost  im- 
possible that  I  should  have  stood  them.  The 
time  spent  there  was  precious  at  my  period 
of  life.  I  ought  to  have  been  at  school,  and 
had  I  been,  my  career  in  life  might  have 
been  something  altogether  different  and  bet- 
ter. But  it  is  useless  to  repine  over  that 

15 


214  OTHEK    SCOUTS. 

now.  My  army  experience,  and,  perhaps,  a 
natural  bent  of  mind,  led  me  in  the  adven- 
turous course  of  life  I  have  pursued  for 
more  than  twenty  years  past.  I  make  no 
pretensions  to  being  a  saint,  never  did  and 
never  expect  to.  I  was  in  every  battle  the 
grand  old  19th  Michigan  fought,  from  Ke- 
saca  to  Avreysboro,  and  I  may  add  that  on 
the  march  to  the  sea  I  was  in  as  many  hen- 
houses and  cellars,  and  fastened  onto  as 
many  mules  as  the  best  "  bummer  "  of  them 
all.  And  if  in  later  years  my  life  has  been 
wild  and  free,  and,  as  some  might  call  it, 
rough,  I  have  always  tried  to  hold  myself 
straight  up  among  men,  and  to  so  carry  my- 
self as  to  command  their  respect,  if  not  love ; 
although  when  it  comes  to  friends,  I  believe 
I  have  as  many  good  and  true  ones  as  any 
man.  But  my  conclusion  from  a  long  ex- 
perience is  that  a  man  is  his  own  best  friend, 
and  that  the  help  of  friends  or  relatives  can 
never  serve  as  a  substitute  for  a  sturdy  self- 
reliance.  "He  who  serves  himself  is  best 
served,"  is  a  wise  proverb.  To  boys  whose 
imaginations  have  drawn  brilliant  pictures  of 
the  life  of  a  scout  and  frontiersman,  I  would 
give  the  same  advice  Artemus  Ward  did  to 
the  young  man  who  sought  Artemus'  opin- 
ion as  to  the  advisibility  of  entering  the  mar- 


THE   OKLAHOMA    SCOUT.  215 

riage  state,  viz.:  "Don't" — you  would  soon 
become  disenchanted.  It  is  a  pleasant 
enough  life  to  read  about,  or  even  to  look 
back  on  when  one  is  safe  through  it,  but  the 
actual  experience  is  a  different  thing.  It  is 
a  life  hedged  about  by  dangers  and  tempta 
tions,  of  which  the  latter  are  the  more  to  ba 
dreaded  of  the  two.  So,  my  boy,  if  yo> 
have  a  home,  stay  there.  If  you  have  a 
chance  to  attend  school,  do  so,  and  get  all 
the  knowledge  you  can,  for  you  may  rest 
assured  it  will  be  found  of  immense  use  in 
after  life. 

To  my  old  comrades  of  the  19th  Michi- 
gan, especially  those  of  company  A,  my 
own,  and  company  C,  in  which  my  brother 
John  served,  I  would  say  that  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  stirring  scenes  and  dangers 
through  which  we  passed  was  one  of  the 
principal  incentives  to  my  writing  this 
book. 

Should  Bony  Allen  and  Henry  Edwards 
read  these  pages,  they  will,  perhaps,  be 
pleased  to  know  that  Eli  Benton  caught  me 
in  the  act  of  writing  them  in  the  orthodox 
author  style,  in  a  little  room  in  the  third 
story  of  a  hotel  at  Wichita,  Kas. 

To  the  public  I  would  say  that  I  make  no 
pretensions  to  literary  taste  or  style,  and  if 


OTHER    SCOUTS. 


this  plain,  straightforward  statement  of  the 
facts  of  my  life,  which  have  been  somewhat 
out  of  the  common  way,  shall  prove  of  some 
interest  on  this  account,  I  shall  be  satisfied. 


We  are  the  Sole  Publishers  of  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox's  Books 

The  Poetical  and  Prose  Works  of 

ELLA    WHEELER    WILCOX 

Mrs.  Wilcox's  writings  have  been  the  inspiration  of  many  young 
men  and  women.  Her  hopeful,  practical,  masterful  views  of  life 
give  the  reader  new  courage  in  the  very  reading  and  are  a  wholesome 
spur  to  flagging  effort.  Words  of  truth  so  vital  that  they  live  in  the 
reader's  memory  and  cause  him  to  think— to  his  own  betterment  and 
the  lasting  improvement  of  his  own  work  in  the  world,  in  whatever 
line  it  lies— flow  from  this  talented  woman's  pen . 

MAURINE 

Is  a  love  story  told  in  exquisite  verse.  "An  ideal  poem  about 
as  true  and  lovable  a  woman  as  ever  poet  created."  It  has 
repeatedly  been  compared  with  Owen  Meredith's  Lucile.  In 
point  of  human  interest  it  excels  that  noted  story. 

"Maurine  "  is  issued  in  an  edition  de  luxe,  where  the  more 
important  incidents  of  the  story  are  portrayed  by  means  of 
photographic  studies  from  life. 

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POEMS  OF  POWER. 

New  and  revised  edition.  This  beautiful  volume  contains 
more  than  one  hundred  new  poems,  displaying  this  popular  poet's 
well-known  taste,  cultivation,  and  originality.  The  author 
says:  "The  final  word  in  the  title  of  the  volume  refers  to  the 
Divine  power  in  every  human  being,  the  recognition  of  which 
is  the  secret  of  all  success  and  happiness.  It  is  this  idea  which 
many  of  the  verses  endeavor  to  inculcate  and  to  illustrate. 

"The  lines  of  Mrs.  Wilcox  show  both  sweetness  and 
strength."— Chicago  American.  "Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox  has  a 
strong  grip  upon  ;he  affections  of  thousands  all  over  the 
world.  Her  productions  are  read  to-day  just  as  eagerly  as 
they  were  when  her  fame  was  new,  no  other  divinity  having 
yet  risen  to  take  her  place." — Chicago  Record-Herald, 

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THREE  WOMEN.    A  STORY  IN  VERSE. 

"THREE  WOMEN  is  the  best  thing  I  have  ever  done."— Ella 
Wheeler  Wilcox, 

This  marvelous  dramatic  poem  will  compel  instant  praise 
because  it  touches  every  note  in  the  scale  of  human  emotipn. 
It  is  intensely  interesting,  and  will  be  read  with  sincere  relish 
and  admiration. 

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POEMS  OF  PLEASURE. 

Many  of  the  best  poetic  creations  of  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox 
are  to  be  found  in  this  charming  collection.  Besides  many 
admirable  specimens  of  romantic  verse,  there  are  several 
poems  of  rare  beauty,  dealing  with  every-day  topics.  Every 
line  of  these  poems  pulsates  with  life  and  throbs  with  emotion. 

"Mrs.  Wilcox  is  an  artist  with  a  touch  that  reminds  one 
of  Byron's  impassionate  strains."— Paris  Register. 

"Everything  that  she  writes  has  the  mark  of  her  unique, 
powerful  personality  impressed  upon  it.  and  this  volume  will 
not  be  a  disappointment  to  those  acquainted  with  her." — New 
York  Press. 

"The  book  is  replete  with  good  things  and.  though  a  book 
of  fewer  than  two  hundred  pages,  it  is  worth  whole  reams  of 
the  sentimentalism  flourishing  under  the  misnomer  of  liter- 
ature."— Western  Bookseller. 

"Mrs.  Wilcox  takes  her  raptures  with  a  full  heart,  revel- 
ing in  blisses  and  draining  sorrows  deeply;  not  morbidly  but 
hopefully.  Skeptic  as  she  is  of  all  formal  creeds,  she  does 
not  become  cynical  or  pessimistic,  but  makes  a  glad  religion 
out  of  evolution  and  human  fellowship."— New  York  Daily 
News. 

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POEMS  OF  PASSION. 

Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox  is  known  as  the  greatest  living  poet 
of  passion.  To  her  the  human  heart  seems  to  have  revealed 
its  mysteries,  for  she  has  the  power  to  picture  love  in  all  its 
moods  and  variations  as  no  other  has  done  since  Byron. 

"Only  a  woman  of  genius  could  produce  such  a  remark- 
able work."— Illustrated  London  News. 

Beside  many  others,  there  are  some  fifty  poems  which 
treat  entirely  of  that  emotion  which  has  been  denominated 
'.'the  grand  passion"— love.  Among  the  most  popular  poems 
in  the  book  are  Delilah,  Ad  Finem,  Conversion,  and  Communism. 
These  vibrant  poems  have  attained  a  reputation  that  is  above 
and  beyond  criticism. 

"Her  name  is  a  household  word.  Her  great  power  lies  in 
depicting  human  emotions;  and  in  handling  that  grandest  of 
all  passions — love,  she  wields  the  pen  of  a  master." — Saturday 
Record. 

Many  thousands  of  the  book  have  been  issued  in  the  plain 
edition.  The  author's  numerous  admirers  called  for  a  de  luxe 
impression,  and  in  the  New  Illustrated  Edition  the  demand 
is  met  by  a 

BEAUTIFULL  Y  PRODUCED  AND  CHARMINGL  Y  EMBELLISHED  EDITION 

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the  book  is  sure  to  find  additional  favor. 

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EVERY-DAY  THOUGHTS— In  Prose 
and  Verse. 

Her  latest,  largest  and  greatest  prose  work.  This  brilliant 
work  consists  of  a  series  of  forceful,  logical  and  fascinating 
"talks"  to  every  member  of  the  household,  in  which  the 
author  fearlessly,  but  with  delicacy,  discusses  every-day  sub- 
jects, and  directs  attention  to  those  evils  which  menace  the 
peace  and  safety  of  the  home.  "Eyeru-dau  Thoughts"  is  not  a 
mere  book  of  advice,  neither  does  it  attempt  to  preach,  but  it 
contains  more  good  counsel  and  wholesome  moral  lessons 
than  are  to  be  found  in  the  average  sermon. 

"These  thoughts,  lofty  and  uplifting,  are  stated  with  viril- 
ity, both  in  prose  and  verse.  The  noble  sentiments  expressed 
in  this  volume  will  widen  the  circle  of  her  admirers."—  Roches- 
ter Times. 

"Few  people  are  so  good  as  not  to  be  made  better  by  a  stu- 
dious perusal  of  this  useful  and  interesting  book.;  which  is,  in 
brief,  a  short  and  vigorous  dissertation  oo  rooral  conduct  and  the 
springs  of  right  living.  Mrs.  Wilcox's  latest  publication  is  a 
worthy  addition  to  the  best  works  of  moral  philosophy  and  her 
treatise  deserves  wide  reading."— New  York  Daily  News. 

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KINGDOM  OF  LOVE,  AND  OTHER  POEMS. 

A  magnificent  collection  of  poems  suitable  for  recitations  and  read- 
ings, true  to  the  very  best  there  is  in  human  nature. 

In  the  preface  to  this  collection,  the  author  says:  "I  am 
constantly  urged  by  readers  and  impersonators  to  furnish 
them  with  verses  for  recitation.  In  response  to  this  ever- 
increasing  demand,  I  have  selected  for  this  volume  the  poems 
which  seem  suitable  for  such  a  purpose.  In  making  my  col- 
lection of  them,  I  have  been  obliged  to  use,  not  those  which 
are  among  my  best  efforts  in  a  literary  or  artistic  sense,  but 
those  which  contain  the  best  dramatic  possibilities  for  profes- 
sionals." 

"Her  fame  has  reached  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  her  pop- 
ularity seems  to  grow  with  each  succeeding  year."— American 
Bookseller. 

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AN  AMBITIOUS  MAN— Prose. 

A  realistic  novel  of  the  modern  school  of  fiction.  Although 
the  plot  borders  on  the  sensational,  the  motive  of  the  story  is 
a  good  one.  It  teaches  that  hereditary  tendencies  can  be 
overcome;  that  one  can  conquer  passion  and  impulse  by  the 
use  of  the  divine  inheritance  of  Will,  and  compel  public  re- 
spect by  lofty  ideals;  in  other  words,  that  one  may  rise  on  the 
"stepping-stones  of  a  dead  self  to  higher  things."  Mrs.  Wilcox 
is  a  successful  novel-writer  as  well  as  a  poet,  and  this  story  is 
another  evidence  of  her  wide  range  of  thought.  "In  'An 
Ambitious  Man'  the  central  figure  is  a  woman,  who  becomes 
chastened  through  suffering  and  purified  through  sin." 

"Vivid  realism  stands  forth  from  every  page  of  this  fasci- 
nating and  interesting  book." — Every  Day. 
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AN  ERRING  WOMAN'S  LOVE. 

There  is  always  a  fascination  in  Mrs.  Wilcox's  verse,  but  in 
these  beautiful  examples  of  her  genius  she  shows  a  wonderful 
knowledge  of  the  human  heart. 

"  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox  has  impressed  many  thousands  of 
people  with  the  extreme  beauty  of  her  philosophy  and  the 
exceeding  usefulness  of  her  point  of  view." — Boston  Globe. 

"Mrs.  Wilcox  stands  at  the  head  of  feminine  writers,  and 
her  verses  and  essays  are  more  widely  copied  and  read  than 
those  of  any  other  American  literary  woman."— New  \ork 
World.  "Power  and  pathos  characterize  this  magnificent 
poern.  A  deep  understanding  of  life  and  an  intense  sympathy 
are  beautifully  expressed."— Chicago  Tribune. 

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MEN,  WOMEN  AND  EMOTIONS. 

A  skilful  analysis  of  social  habits,  customs  and  follies.  A 
•  common-sense  view  of  life  from  its  varied  standpoints.  . .  .  full 
of  sage  advice. 

"  These  essays  tend  to  meefcdifficulties  that  arise  m  almost 
every  life.  .  ,  .  Full  of  sound  and  helpful  admonition,  and  is 
sure  to  assist  in  smoothing  the  rough  ways  of  life  wherever  it 
be  read  and  heeded."— Pittsburg  Times. 

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THE  BEAUTIFUL  LAND  OF  NOD. 

A  collection  of  poems,  songs,  stories,  and  allegories  dealing 
with  child  life.  The  work  is  profusely  illustrated  with  dainty 
line  engravings  and  photographs  from  life. 

"The  delight  of  the  nursery;  the  foremost  baby's  book  in 
the  world."— A7.  O.  Picayune. 
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